ӇдⱤѵЄϛҭ ҦΦΦȠ: Iϛɭдηȡ Φʄ DЄϛϸдɨⱤ
by kitty8688kitty8688 the only
Summary: The Harvest Goddess statue at the Goddess Festival falls down and nearly kills Chelsea, also meaning a bad omen - terrible and weird things begin to happen on the island. Are these terrible events mere accidents, coincidence, or is someone- or something- trying to just— kill her? Full summary inside, CxV.
1. Prologue & Story Information

**NOTICE [July 8, 2012]:** FF net rules state that non-story material may not be uploaded as a stand-alone chapter. This rule includes my 'Before You Read' information. It is still here, but now it contains a 'Prologue'. The prologue is from Chapter 1, the beginning portion. It has been removed from Chapter 1 already. The prologue may be replaced later in time and this portion may be moved back. But until then, enjoy. If you want to read the story information, please skip or read the prologue.

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**Prologue**

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**SPRING 3RD – TUESDAY**

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**Mark's Scene**

Mark sighed to himself as he reread the typed letter in his hand for at least the fourth time,

'To Mark Mills:

The City of Flourish appreciates all of the hard work that you have accomplished on the once abandoned 'Sunny Island' for the past 2 years. However, as I have mentioned before, for the past 2 seasons, the city needs more animal products produced from your ranch. As you know, it is costing my city more than 500,000 gold a season to transport milk and other products from a neighboring city to my own to satisfy the growing population. The transportation (trucks), employees, gas, and many other things that are involved all cost gold. According to the city finances, more than half of the gold goes to the _other_ city because of these products that are being produced and transported to my city.

According to my records, you usually produce 200 gallons of milk, 30 eggs/approximately 2.5 dozens (uncooked), 0 pounds of wool, approximately 283.7 pounds of butter, approximately 275.4 pounds of cheese, approximately 275.4 pounds of yogurt, 0 pounds of yarn, and 0 pounds of mayonnaise_**(1)**_. As you can see by these numbers, this is not enough for my city that continues to grow each day. The crops that you produce on your ranch are more than enough for our city, and the city and I ask you to keep up the good work. Due to your crops alone, being in excellent condition (A to S rank), local businesses have been able to stay in the city and are not needed to move out because of competition with Wall-to-Wall Mart_**(2)**_ in a nearby city. Since you produce more than enough of certain crops per season, they can be sold for inexpensive prices all year round. However, Wall-to-Wall Mart is trying to redeem themselves by selling animal products for 'cheap' prices. Since we have a shortage of animal products, local businesses in the city have no choice but to sell these products at least 5% higher than Wall-to-Wall Mart. Unfortunately for the city, most of the citizens rather go to the nearby city to get these animal products since they are 'cheaper', despite the cost of transportation and the distance differences.

This will be my final letter to you concerning this issue. If I don't receive a reply from you by Spring 15th, the city and I will no longer do _any_ type of business with you or others on the island.

From,

Mayor Avarice_**(3)**_

PS: Please call me at 1-322-659-9984 if you want the city to do any further business with you.'

Mark closed his eyes and sighed again. He crushed the paper in his hand from frustration and looked out of his window from his bed. Of course, the weather was perfect, the complete opposite of how he felt. Not only was he in a tight spot if he didn't make a decision quick, there was almost nothing that he could do about it. He stood up from his bed and stretched, getting the knots out of his back and his neck as well.

"Well… What to do now…?" he asked himself in a low voice.

Mark, honestly, tried to comply with the city wishes, but doing his best wasn't enough for them- apparently… He knew that he couldn't do all of the farm work himself anymore, especially since he would fill his whole field with crops, his greenhouse with crops as well, fill or check his rice paddies, fill or harvest mushroom growing on the logs, and then work with the animals. And when it was time to harvest the crops, it would take him hours to do so, and then a little extra time to put them in the shipping bin. In other words, he needed help, and fast. Before he could figure out a solution to his problem, someone knocked on his door. He quickly tosses the letter onto his bed and ran to his door to answer it. Of course not to his surprise, Taro was standing there with a slight smile on his face.

"Mornin' Mark! I just wanted to stop by and to once again congratulate you on another successful year!"

Mark smiles lightly at Taro's comment.

"Thanks Taro… But, the island will not be successful if I don't fix a certain problem soon…"

"Huh?"

Mark sighed. He seemed to have been doing that a lot lately.

"Wait here for a second…" Mark said as he closed the door and ran to his bed to get the letter.

He returned to the door with the letter in his hand and opened his door again. He hands the letter to Taro without explaining. Taro looked at Mark first confused, but then he read the letter when he saw the anxious expression on Mark's face. It didn't take long for Taro to reply- or show his irritation.

"WHAT IS THIS!?" Taro exclaimed in anger.

"It is exactly as it reads Taro. If I don't figure out a solution to the problem soon, the island will once again be abandoned in no time… And, I don't know what to do…" Mark admitted.

"HMPH! I'll tell ya what you're _not_ going to do! You're not going to just stand there and ignore this Mayor person! Even though I don't like this Mayor's words, I have an idea that can solve this problem!" Taro said with triumph.

Mark face brightened.

"What do you suggest Taro?"

"Easy! I'll ask Elliot and Natalie to help you!"

Mark chuckled nervously.

"_I had a feeling he would say that,_" he thought as he remembered a brief memory of Elliot, his best friend, helping him before with his farm chores when he was sick.

"I am grateful for that offer Taro, but Elliot and Natalie are busy enough transporting the products from my ranch to the ship. And they are just as busy as me whenever I put a lot of things into the shipping bin. I mean, they put everything into crates and keep up with how many there are and other things. I really don't want to overwork them…" Mark said, declining Taro's offer.

"Nonsense! Elliot needs to build a little more muscle and Natalie needs to get out of the house a little more often. I think-"

"R-Really Taro, it's quite okay! I don't want to overwork them!" Mark said again and he shook his head to emphasize his point even more.

Taro sighed.

"Well, I suppose you're right there… But, this situation can't be ignored. Something needs to be done…"

Mark leaned back on the heels of his boots to think. And then, as if a rock hit him on his head, he had a wonderful idea.

"I GOT IT!"

Mark's excitement scared the old man and nearly gave him a heart attack.

"Wh-What is it!?"

"No time to explain! I have to go to Sabrina's house real quick! Thanks for your wisdom Taro!" Mark said as he raced passed his farm tutor to head towards Sabrina's house.

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Story Information (AKA Before You Read)

**Welcome to my FIRST Harvest Moon story for the lovely couple Chelsea X Vaughn!**

To read the FULL and more detailed summary of the story, please read below. It is NOT required of you to read the 'EBook (SAMPLE)' information.

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**Title:** _**Harvest Moon: Island of Despair**_** (****ӇдⱤѵЄϛҭ ҦΦΦȠ: Iϛɭдηȡ Φʄ DЄϛϸдɨⱤ)**

**By:** Kitty8688/kitty8688 the only

**Beta-Read By: **Pheonixfire (from Ushi No Tane Forums) and WolfCrystal (from FF . net)

**Rating:** T-T+ ; Swearing/Cursing and possibly some adult-like themes mentioned (not explicit). **Rating will change if any are TOO detailed AND a 'WARNING' will be added**!

**Type of Story:** Harvest Moon: Island Of Happiness; Chelsea X Vaughn [Vaughn is AKA Valuts], other couples are mentioned as well; **Multi-Chapter Story (In Different View's)**; Romance, Humor, Angst/Sorrow/Horror, Mystery, and Drama.

**Summary:** Chelsea is finally hired to work as a part-time rancher on a ranch located on an island called 'Sunny Island'. The villagers she meets all are friendly, the air is refreshing, and the open space felt nicer then the city. Life is 'perfect' for her. But anything that is 'perfect' doesn't stay that way forever. When the Harvest Goddess statue at the Goddess Festival falls down and nearly kills her, also meaning a bad omen- terrible and weird things begin to happen on the island… Are these terrible events mere accidents or coincidence? Or is someone- or _something_- trying to just— kill her!?

**Characters Presented (Not in Order of Appearance):** Chelsea, Vaughn (AKA Valuts), Mark, Shea (AKA Shiba), Witch Princess, Denny (AKA Danny), Lanna (AKA Lily), Natalie, Pierre, Elliot (AKA Erik/Erick/Eric), Julia, Sabrina (AKA Ceffiena), Will (AKA William), Chelsea parents, the main villagers, sub-villagers (Luke and Madelynn mostly), some Mineral Town people mentioned, and others. OH! And let's not forget Kuu (Denny's/Danny's black bird).

**Started On & Completed Date:** September 03, 2009 (Start Date) & November 30, 2012 (Unedited & Not uploaded yet)!

**Total Chapters/Pages:** 1/33 Pages; 2/49; 3/45 (BONUS INCLUDED); 4/43 (BONUS INCLUDED); 5/65 (BONUS INCLUDED); 6/53 (BONUS INCLUDED); 7/38; 8/82 (BONUS INCLUDED); 9/48 (BONUS INCLUDED); 10/52 (BONUS INCLUDED); 11/55 (BONUS INCLUDED); 12/69; 13/62 (BONUS INCLUDED); 14/50; 15/71; 16/51; 17/42, 18/100 (BONUS INCLUDED), 19/51, 20/52, 21/52, 22/33, 23/45, 24/32, 25/22, 26/12, 27/17, 28/44, 29/36, 30/18, 31/20. [Referring to being 1.5 spaced, 12 font, in Times New Roman, and comments I make at the end is included. Will be updated every new chapter uploaded.]

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harvest Moon or any of the characters. The characters belong to the original creator of the Harvest Moon series, Yasuhiro Wada, the game creators company, Marvelous Entertainment™©, and the English translation company, Natsume™©/Rising Star Games™©. All I 'own' is this story/plot and any OC's.

**WARNING:** Nothing too much to worry about, but, I wanted to mention that my chapters are _**long**_, not short. In other words, 10,000 words or more would be a chapter to me (it can be less sometimes). I will add a warning in the chapter itself if something is— harsh.

**To Beta-Readers [May 15, 2012]:** Due to email issues, I cannot 'hire' any beta-readers at this time. I apologize for the inconvenience!

**BONUS(ES) **[**UPDATE, 2/9/2011]:** BONUS material will no longer appear in this story. In the future, they will be moved and will have their own title. The last one was featured in Chapter 18.

'**Fun Facts' [Endnotes]:** I would like to add in that during the story- you may see things like this (example):

"What is your name?"

"Silla_**(1)**_."

See the number '1' in italic's and in bold? Anything that is in italics and in bold, I will make a note of it at the end of the chapter. This will become clearer as you read the story.

Feel free to review or not; that includes good, bad comments, and/or criticism. I, personally, don't care if you review or not. I write because I like to write stories, not because I want reviews.

**Quick 'Q' From Review(s): **_**ALL**_ of these have been moved to my LiveJournal account. If you want to see them, you're going to have to become my 'friend' on the site, as they are set to 'Friends Only' that can view it. I will try to reply to each one through the PM/review system, unless your review is anonymous. If I think the question you ask is important, I will share those answers with everyone.

**NOTICED? [June 17, 2010]:** FF admins fixed the interrobang issue, which is great! Although, when I have certain words underlined, that are in bold too, the website gets rid of the underline still; which needs to be fixed.

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**EBook (SAMPLE) [December 8, 2012]:**

**The links are located on my profile. Feel free to go there to see the links.**

And that is all that you need to know concerning the story. Please feel free to now move on to the story, that is, if you want to.


	2. Chapter 1, The Second Rancher

**Chapter 1, The Second Rancher**

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**SPRING 3RD – TUESDAY**

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**Chelsea's Scene**

"When are you going to get a job?" Chelsea's dad asked her, though in a humorous way.

Chelsea puffed out her cheeks.

"Dad!"

He puts down his cup of coffee onto the dining room table in front of him.

"Yes?" he said, with an eyebrow raised and somewhat smiling slightly.

Chelsea puffed out her cheeks again. If Chelsea didn't have the same color eyes and hair as her father, she would have never believed that such a man could be her father- but he was… Dr. Gary Candid_**(4)**_, the best doctor in Flourish city. Dr. Gary Candid's hair was short and in a small low-type ponytail, he wore contact lenses instead of glasses, and his eyes were blue- like his daughter had.

"Really honey, you should stop teasing our daughter, you know how she gets," a sweet and motherly voice said from the kitchen.

Chelsea looked towards the kitchen and her mother came out of the kitchen a few minutes later to join them at the dining room table. Her mother, Silla_**(5)**_, also had blue eyes, but they held a twinkle to them- the same sparkle that Chelsea got when she wanted to unravel a mystery or explore unknown lands. Her mother's hair was long and reached her back, to her waist at least, though the color of her hair was blonde instead of brown. Her mother was the same height as Chelsea, and they had similar personalities- though Silla no longer acted childish in years.

"Me? Teasing Chelsea!" Gary said, pretending to sound appalled with the very idea.

"Now why would I tease our daughter?"

Silla shook her head in disbelief and chuckled at her husband.

"Don't encourage him Mom by laughing!"

Gary smiled at his daughter and sighed.

"But, seriously Chelsea, you have to do something with yourself… You are 24 years old and you don't even have your own place. You went to college, did well, and yet you have no job… What's going on with you? Are you sure you're looking hard enough?"

Chelsea sighed, as she always did whenever her father brought up the same topic concerning her future. It's not that she didn't want a future; it was just hard for her to find her own place in the world- a place that felt right to her... So far, she always came up with nothing. Many of the apartments that she did find were either too close to dangerous neighborhoods, factories, or noisy places. If it wasn't any of those issues, the rent would be too much for her. Her father, of course, offered to help pay for the first two seasons of her rent for any apartment she would choose. But, Chelsea wanted to pay her own rent- she wanted real independence, not part of it... So, moving out was out of the option for her quickly. Her job search did not go any better. She filled out for jobs that she was qualified for, and they either didn't get back to her or they did- but decided not to hire her. And then she applied for jobs that didn't require much work or her degree. And, of course, she was hired to work at a fast food restaurant- as a cashier…

"That's not true Dad… I do have a job…"

Her father sighed before he spoke. "You know what I mean Chelsea… You have the qualifications to do better than to work at— some fast food place. I just don't understand…"

Chelsea never understood either. She did pass all of her classes with A's and only one class was a B, but overall, she was one of the top students at her college. And yet, she had a crappy job. What was the point of having a degree if you end up working at some crappy place anyway? A place that doesn't even require you to have a degree to work there. She only took the job so that she could earn her own money, even though it came in the worst form. Though, she was planning to quit her job because of just the smell of the food. She hated the smell of hamburgers and chicken patties being cooked.

"_Those poor animals…_" she thought sadly.

If it wasn't for a certain report that she wrote about on chickens when she was a child- she would probably be eating meat as well. She shuttered at the thought.

"Well Dad, I have tried applying for better jobs, but it seems that they just don't want to hire me… I even put my resume online on job sites. And I haven't had a single phone call…"

"Hmm… Maybe I need to call some people up and see if I can get you a job…"

Chelsea glared at her dad.

"You already know how I feel about that Dad. I don't want to earn a job because of my family reputation. I want to earn one myself," Chelsea said calmly, trying her best not to lose her patience.

Her father frowned at her. He was about to say something, but his wife gave him a solemn look and he quickly closed his mouth. Even though he didn't say anything, Chelsea had an idea of what he was about to say. She decided to turn her face away from her father. He was a nice person, but sometimes he could be such a jerk at times!

"Don't worry about it too much Chelsea. Your time will come sooner or later," her mother said, trying to extinguish the tension in the room.

"But I have been waiting mom! I have been waiting for a long time for some opportunity to come along for a whole year since I finished school! And yet, I have a job that I hate!" Chelsea yelled as she stood up from her chair.

Silla sighed.

"I understand how frustrated you are Chelsea, but, give it a little more time… If you like, I will help you search for a better job…"

Chelsea ignored her mother as she stormed out of the dining room, into the hallway, and ran up the stairs to go to her room. She knew that her family was trying to help, but, the thing was that she didn't want their help. She wanted to do everything herself- or at least try to do most of the things herself.

As she reached the wooden door that lead to her room, she opened it with enough force to cause a hole from her doorknob on the side wall. She looked into her familiar bedroom. Compared to other kids or young adults her age rather, she was very fortunate. She had a computer resting on her little desk on the right side against a wall, along with a swivel chair that was red. There was enough space for her to do any work on the desk and she has a little red lamp on her desk as well. Not too far from her desk was her bed, a regular bed with plain white sheets on them with a plain pillow, along with a few stuffed animal plushies. On the top of her bed was her new laptop that she got a few days ago with her own hard earned gold. Next to her bed was her nightstand with an alarm clock resting on it, silent at the moment. Covering her walls were pictures of her favorite things; from cute animals to celebrities and famous comic book characters_** (6)**_. She walked slowly to her bed and sat on it, her mattress groaning as if in protest. She looked at her laptop from the corner of her eye.

"_Should I check that job site again?_"

She didn't know how many times she checked the job website last season. In the beginning, when she first posted her resume online, she checked it at least 3 to 4 times a day. But, over time, she checked it less and less often. Now in days, she would check it 3 to 4 times a season, maybe even less… She basically lost all hope of finding a better job.

"I'll be stuck working at some fast food place forever… Or at least until my boss feels like firing me…" she mumbled under her breath bitterly.

She looked at her laptop again. Something was bugging her… She could feel something, like a tug at the back of her brain. She figured her brain wanted her to check the job site. Of course a small part of her had a little hope of being hired elsewhere obviously. She wanted to ignore her conscience, but she decided to check anyway. What harm would it do her if she did? She took her laptop off of her bed and put it directly on her lap. She took her time opening the webpage where her resume was posted at. She logged into her account and looked at the sidebar. She read the words out loud with boredom.

"'Private Messages'… Zero… 'Friends/Employee's Online'… Zero… 'Jobs Based on Your Qualifications'… Zero… 'Now Hiring in Your City'… Zero… 'Job Offerings to You'… One… 'Visitors to Your Resume'… One… 'Resu-"

Chelsea suddenly stopped reading. She blinked her eyes in disbelief.

"_Did I just read that I was offered a job!_" she thought to herself in shock, but she also felt excited.

She read the sidebar again and realized that she _was_ being offered a job. She quickly clicked the words on the sidebar.

"_Who would want to offer me a job!_" she thought as she waited impatiently for the website to load.

She outstretched her hands in front of her and closed her eyes, forcing herself to breath in and out.

"Okay… I have to calm down… I don't want to jinx myself or get my hopes up too high," she murmured under her breath to herself.

She opened her eyes once again and looked at her laptop screen. The webpage finished loading. And what she saw on the screen, she almost burst into tears in joy. Someone was offering her a job, and they even left a letter to explain the job to her. She began to read before her vision got blurry with formless tears.

'To Chelsea C.:

My name is Mark Mills and I own 'Mills Ranch' located on 'Sunny Island'….'

"_A ranch owner? Why would a ranch owner contact me?_" Chelsea briefly thought, but she continued to read the letter.

'… I have read over your resume and I have to admit that your resume is very impressive. The skills and experience that you have is more than enough to qualify for the job that I am offering. Not only do you have experience of taking care of animals, you have experience with machines and people as well. Based on your skills, I am offering you a part-time job at my ranch on 'Sunny Island'. Your job will only involve taking care of all of the animals. You will be paid based on how much and how many produce you ship. More information will be explained if you are hired for the job. If you are interested in the job, please call me at 1-323-309-1204 ASAP.

Thanks for Reading,

Mark Mills'

Chelsea hugged the laptop close to her chest and smiled happily as happy tears spilled out of her eyes.

"_Finally! Fate has turned around for me!_" she thought.

She took the laptop off of her lap and put it back on her bed. She stood up and looked at the laptop screen again to memorize the phone number. She looked around her room for her cell phone. It didn't take her long to find it, on her desk, of course, next to her lamp. She walked to her desk and picked up her cell phone. She looked at the poster on her wall that was above her desk.

"_Should I talk this over with my parents first…?_" Chelsea thought.

"_But what if they say no…?_" she thought sadly.

She sighed to herself.

"_It would be wrong to just call without talking about it with them first…_"

She put her cell phone into her jean pocket and walked out of her room. She walked down the stairs, slowly, dreading the reply she would get from her parents, or mostly her father anyway. She slowly walked into the dining room, to see if they were still there- and of course they were. When she entered, they stopped talking among themselves and looked at her. They could tell something was on her mind, but they waited patiently for her to speak her mind. Chelsea took in a long breath of air and breathed it back out. She smiled at her parents.

"I was offered a job."

Her mother was the first to react, smiling and hugging her arms. Her father half-smiled and chuckled a little. Finding it ironic, concerning the very topic they talked about only a few moments ago.

"That's great! What is the job?" her mother asked.

"_The moment of truth…_" Chelsea thought.

"Well, the job I am being offered seems like a lot of fun, and it's not too far from here…"

Her father frowned slightly just then.

"Chelsea…" he began, but Chelsea continued before he could say anything else.

"…And the employer was impressed with my resume and thought I qualified for the job. He even left his phone number for me to call him back as soon as possible…"

"Stop stalling Chelsea…" her father said in a stern voice.

"I-am-being-offered-a-part-time-job-as-a-rancher-on-'Sunny-Island'," she quickly blurted out.

Her mother looked at her, confused at first, before it changed into a slight look of worry.

"Work as a rancher? Are you sure that is what you want to do?"

"Yes… You know how I am around animals. I feel- relaxed around them…"

Chelsea's mother sighed but nodded her head in understanding.

"Well, it is your choice after all…"

"Hmm… But you said this job is on an island right? That means it is far away…" her father said, while thinking other thoughts.

He continued a minute later.

"But, taking care of animals is a hobby of yours Chelsea, not a career… I mean, being a rancher… It probably doesn't bring in enough money for you to support yourself and pay for things… I…" he took a deep breath in and he looked at Chelsea with a serious expression, a final decision.

"I'm not going to allow you to work as a rancher… The degree that you earned needs to be used. And being a rancher on some small island isn't going to work. No, I won't allow it."

Chelsea frowned and she could feel her face getting hot.

"I don't get it! This is supposed to be my decision, isn't it! I don't mind being a rancher because I would actually do something that I enjoy! I hate working at that fast-food place! Working there makes me so— unhappy! Do you _want_ me to stay there!" Chelsea yelled.

"You know very well that I don't want you working there Chelsea. I just think that you only want to work as a rancher because you don't think another job will come along. I just think that you should wait a little longer…"

"But Dad, I _have_ been waiting! Maybe this job I am being offered is some turn of fate! Am I supposed to ignore it!"

Her dad closed his eyes and remained silent. Chelsea closed her eyes and forced herself to not cry.

"Fine…! I'll work at that stupid fast-food place for the rest of my miserable life!" she said through gritted teeth.

Chelsea stomped out of the dining room and retreated into her room up the stairs. She slammed the door behind her and jumped onto her bed with her back facing her door. She decided then it was best to silently cry to herself.

**Elliot's Scene**

Elliot was busy recounting the crates and making sure that everything was correct for the third time. He already knew that everything was accurate, but he couldn't help being busy or doing something. He hated pacing around in the house and not doing anything. And, he was trying to avoid his bossy, mean, and tom-boy looking sister- Natalie… Though, he had to admit that she was being less mean to him as of late, and that she was hanging out with that gourmet guy, Pierre, with most of her free time as well. Not that he minded of course, as long as she left him alone he didn't mind.

He looked away from his clipboard in his hand, lost in thought about his sister. Just then, his best friend, Mark, entered his house. Elliot didn't notice until he heard someone coughing behind him, obviously asking for his attention. Elliot woke up from his thoughts and turned around to face the 'cougher'. He smiled at his best friend Mark.

"Hey Mark. What brings you here?"

Mark smiled slightly.

"Just dropping by is all," he replied.

Elliot realized that something was bothering his friend. Usually Mark would be smiling for no apparent reason and have a kind of glow around him that seeped of his confidence and cheerful demeanor. But, Mark right now, looked troubled. Elliot, of course, felt concerned for his friend.

"Is something wrong Mark?"

Mark sighed. Elliot pointed towards the table and stools. Mark nodded his head in understanding and he walked to the table to sit down, Elliot followed shortly after. He sat across from Mark and he fixed his glasses on his nose. Elliot waited patiently for Mark to talk, and he did.

"Remember that letter I showed you 2 seasons ago, concerning the animal produce from my ranch?"

Elliot nodded in response. Mark sighed sadly.

"Well, this time, the mayor threatened to stop doing any type of business concerning this island if I don't ship more soon…"

"What? Ca-Can the mayor really do that!"

Mark nodded his head slowly.

"I'm afraid he can… And if the nearby city stops doing business, you know what would follow soon after…"

"People would leave…"

Mark nodded his head in agreement.

"Your grandfather knows about the situation now…"

Mark chuckled a little before he continued.

"He tried to convince me to let you and Natalie help me. But, I refused."

Elliot looked at his friend with surprise.

"Why would you do that?"

"Simple. You are working too hard and so is Natalie. I don't want to overwork you two… Besides, you and her are just as busy as me when you pack my products from my ranch and then bring them to the ship in crates."

"Well, yeah… But you know I would help you anyway…"

"I know you would… But, let's not think that way right now. I found an alternate solution."

"An alternate solution? You're not thinking about doing business with another city are you?"

Mark shook his head.

"Of course not. I decided to hire someone to work part-time for me. I went to Sabrina's house to borrow her laptop and I posted about the job online. I offered the job to a few possible candidates…" Mark stopped and sighed sadly.

"But, nobody has called me so far… And it has been a few hours now…"

"Do-Don't look too down about it Mark. Maybe nobody has seen your job ad yet. Give it a day or two before you give up."

Mark smiled lightly.

"You know, you seem to have grown more confident since I first met you."

Elliot scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"I-I guess your personality rubbed off on me…"

Mark smiled fully at that point.

"I'm glad I am a good influence."

Mark stood up from his seat.

"Well, I have to go by Mirabelle's to talk to her about doing animal business with her again."

Elliot face turned slightly red.

"D-Do you think you can say 'Hi' to Julia for me?"

Mark chuckled lightly and nodded his head.

"You know I would," Mark said as he winked.

He headed towards the door, waved a last goodbye at Elliot, and then headed out. Elliot stood up and walked back to the crates he was recounting earlier.

**Chelsea's Scene**

Chelsea was still lying on her bed, as she had for the past few hours. She decided to sit up from her bed and forced herself to look at the alarm clock sitting on the small nightstand next to her bed. The clock read 6 o'clock at night. She sighed to herself, knowing she had to go back to work tomorrow. The alarm clock was set to wake her up at 6AM. She didn't need to go to work until 8AM, but it was the only time she could catch a ride with— her father, since he left for work around 6:30.

Her father… The man who said that she couldn't work as a rancher… She somehow expected that answer from him… She closed her eyes and sighed again. Before she could lie back down to go back to sleep, skipping dinner in the process, she heard her door open. She looked towards her door, and the head that stuck into her room was her father's. She turned away from the door and ignored her father of course.

"Dinner is ready Chelsea…"

Chelsea ignored him. Chelsea heard her father sigh. And she heard her door open wider and his footsteps, most likely entering her room. She knew he sat on the bed next to her when she felt the mattress of the bed spring a bit. Her father sighed again.

"About what I said earlier Chelsea… I-I thought about what you said…"  
Chelsea remained silent, but she was listening.

"I think that you are right that it is your decision to do what you want with your life. After all, you are a young adult… And if you want to be a rancher, then you really don't need my permission to do just that…"

Chelsea turned her head slightly to look at her dad, to see if he was serious. And he was.

"And, maybe you are meant to go there… Maybe, you'll use your knowledge while you are there…" he said as he smiled at her.

Chelsea smiled back slightly.

"You really mean that Dad?"

He nodded his head. Chelsea, in answer, hugged her dad tightly and he almost lost his balance.

"I-I'm glad you're happy now…!"

Chelsea laughed and couldn't help but ask, "What's for dinner?"

"Your mother made pizza for dinner, apple pie for dessert, and fruit juice for us to drink."

Chelsea let go of her dad. "Awesome!"

He chuckled and nodded.

"And what about _your_ cooking skills?"

"You know how great of a cook I am Dad! All thanks to Mom! Though, she couldn't teach me how to cook a few things…"

Her father stood up and walked toward her door.

"Before it gets too late, why don't you contact the person that offered you the job? You should still have a chance," he said as he left her room, closing the door gently behind him.

Chelsea searched through her pockets for her cell phone, and found it of course. She dialed the number that she memorized earlier and crossed her fingers, hoping she would get the job.

**Mark's Scene**

Mark had been waiting at home since after he came back from Mirabelle's shop. Not one single phone call. He figured somebody would have called by now about the job.

"_Maybe nobody wants to become a rancher… Maybe being a rancher is— boring to them…_" he thought.

He really hoped that wasn't the case, because being a rancher _definitely_ wasn't boring or easy. He wanted to look at his clock hanging on the wall, but he decided to not look. It would only make him more nervous. He was determined to stay up for as long as he could, just in case he got late night callers. He then decided to let his mind drift off about his talk with Mirabelle. He sighed to himself.

"_Mirabelle was happy that I am doing real business with her now… But, she wondered that she might not be able to get another trader… She still thinks that-_"

Mark thoughts were cut off when he heard an out of the ordinary ringing sound. Mark frowned slightly and looked around, trying to figure out where the sound was coming from. It took him a moment to realize that it was the black phone ringing. The phone! He jumped off of his bed and ran to the telephone.

"Hello, this is Mark Mills, how may I help you?" he said with excitement.

"Hi, my name is Chelsea Candid. I'm calling about the job about being as a part-time rancher?"

Mark felt so happy inside that he wanted to cry- in joy of course. But, he held back his emotions, for now.

"That's great! Would you mind if I asked a few questions?"

"Sure!"

It took Mark a moment to realize that the person's voice on the other side of the phone was a woman's, and she sounded— cheerful and it strangely reminded him of someone… He wondered briefly what face could match the voice.

"Why do you want to be a rancher? In this case, an animal rancher?"

"I actually love animals. I love how cute they look and sometimes fluffy. Animals have feelings too, and I think that they are more- understanding sometimes."

"Okay. Do you currently have a job already? If you do, what is it and why are you quitting or planning to quit?"

He heard Chelsea sigh on the other line.

"Yes I do. I honestly work at a fast-food place. And the reason why I am going to quit is because I can't stand the smell of hamburgers or meat in general… Animals shouldn't be treated in such a way…"

"I understand. If you were offered the job, how soon would you like to work?"

"As soon as possible! Even if it's tomorrow!"

"Good answer. Final question… If you loved the job well enough, would you work full time?"

"Yes!"

"Great! Then you're hired! Take the next ferry to the island tomorrow and try to be here by 6AM."

"Oka-Wait… What! I-I'm hired that quickly! And, 6AM in the morning! When do I have to get up to make it on time!"

Mark felt like kicking himself.

"M-My bad… I'm just happy to have a helper now… You don't have to be here by 6AM tomorrow. But, I do expect to see you tomorrow though. And I hired you quickly because of your interesting resume and background."

There was silence on the phone for a minute. He wondered if the connection got cut off on her end or maybe she decided to hang up because of his demands. Mark was about to say something that could hopefully make things better, but he was interrupted by her voice again.

"Mr. Mills-"

"Pl-Please call me Mark."

"Okay… Mark… I will be there tomorrow at 6AM sharp! The sooner I start my training, the better!" she chirped.

Mark sighed in relief to himself. And he found it interesting that he would have probably said the same thing. He felt like he would get along with this person just fine.

"That's great! But, if you can't make it due to troubles, don't hesitant to call me," Mark said.

He had a feeling that she nodded her head.

"Will do! Nice talking to you Mark! And, thank you so much!"

"No problem! You have a good night!"

She hung up the phone first and then Mark hung up his phone. Mark walked back to his bed and fell onto it in relief. He felt like all of his troubles melted away- or at least, he hoped they would melt away. He closed his eyes, now in content, and went to sleep shortly after.

**Vaughn's Scene**

Something was ringing throughout his small apartment. At first, he ignored it and growled 'Go away.' But, of course, whoever was trying to call him was being quite stubborn. Vaughn sighed to himself and forced his eyes to open. He wasn't in the mood to get up, not to mention getting up on his day off. He got off of his bed.

"This better be damn important!" he muttered under his breath as he picked up the phone.

"Hello Vaughn."

As he expected, his damn boss was on the phone. Work- that was always important.

"I'm assuming your call is pretty important if you're calling this late."

"Well I wouldn't say important exactly… Anyway, I'm calling because you're being called back to 'Sunny Island'."

"What! There is no way in hell I'm going back there! Besides, I'm not needed there- remember? Or have you lost your mind for the past year!"

"Well, according to your Aunt Mirabelle, you're needed now. Your Aunt told me that the rancher there is going to need animals soon- lots of them."

"That damn rancher could barely handle the two animals I'm sure he has now still! Wait, it would be more right to say that he somehow killed them already..!"

He heard his boss sigh on the other end. "Calm down Vaughn… Anyway, you're wrong about two things… For one, he still has those two same animals, and they are fine as far as I know… Secondly, he's not going to take care of the animals."

"What!" Vaughn was confused now.

"He's hiring someone else to take care of the animals. Don't know who that person is though…"

"And who is going to teach this new person about how to treat animals?" Vaughn said through gritted teeth.

"Well, I assume the rancher is… Or, maybe your Aunt… I don't know, I wasn't told… Well, it seems clear that you don't want to go to the island anyway… So, if you want…"

Vaughn hated his boss at that moment. He knew he was using reverse psychology or whatever technique it is to get him to go. If only he didn't have a little soft spot for animals.

"Fine… I'll go back to the stupid island…"

"Great! Be there by tomorrow! Have a nice night!"

Vaughn hung up the phone. If it wasn't for his now 'new' assignment, he would be off of work for two more days. He was only allowed to be off of work today because his boss said he needed it- especially on his birthday. He really didn't see the need for it. It's not like he worked _that_ hard. He walked to his small kitchen/living room table and took one fortune cookie off of his table. He decided to eat Chinese food that day. He opened the cookie and it read:

'_A pleasant surprise is in store for you._'

He threw the cookie onto the floor and stomped onto it.

"_Damn fortune cookie! That wasn't a pleasant surprise!_" he thought as he continued to stomp onto the already crumbled cookie.

**Chelsea's Scene**

She knew this would happen. When she told her parents that she was hired, they were happy of course. But, they weren't happy that she agreed to be on the island by tomorrow. They told her that she didn't think out a few things, such as where she was going to stay while there, how much is she getting paid, and many other questions that were important. Lucky for her, they couldn't really do anything about it. Though, her father had a mind to call her boss, Mark, and give him a piece of his mind. Her mother decided to go shopping after they ate to get her some clothes that would be suitable for her ranch work and other types of clothing that would be just nice to wear.

After all of the shopping was done (not just for clothes either), they went home, and it was a little past 11 o'clock. Chelsea decided to take a quick shower, leave out some clothes for tomorrow, and head straight to bed. She knew she needed the sleep- and that she had to get up in a few hours because of the time the boat would leave- 4AM in the morning. Lucky for her, her family lived only about 20 minutes from the dock- driving of course. And, she only had to get up an hour before, and that was to make sure she had everything she needed for the trip. She remembered going to bed with a smile on her face, happy for the good turn of events. If only she knew that things would turn unpleasant for her not too long in the future….

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**SPRING 4TH – WEDNESDAY**

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**Chelsea's Scene**

"TIME TO GO GUYS!" she yelled once more to her parents, from the front door.

She should have expected much. She had a feeling that her parents would be a wreck when it was close for her to leave. But then again, who wouldn't be grumpy and nervous constantly near four in the morning? She felt anxious like her parents, but a different type of anxiety. To her, it felt like the first day of going to college, or her first class rather. Would the teacher be nice? Would she do well in the class? Would she be able to find some new friends- or at least a few? Except, in this situation, she was actually going away from her parents- not even sure when she will see them again. And, she wasn't sure what her boss was like either or what type of people even lived on the island.

"_What happens if they are crazy people? What happens if the people living there are part of some experiment that's gone wrong that was created by crazy scientists that never come out of their labs!_" she thought.

She shook her head to get the crazy thoughts out of her mind. She really needed to stop reading fiction and sci-fi books- though she couldn't help bringing a few books with her to the island. And, another thing she should have done herself, her parents took the initiative to make sure her stuff was already on the boat last night after they got home. She had no idea how they done it, but they did… Who was she to argue? At least it saved her the time and energy of carrying her stuff onto the boat herself.

She saw her parents descend the stairs with fast haste and her dad ran past her out of the front door. Chelsea followed him and her mother followed her. They all got into the car and her dad immediately started it. Of course, having a mixture of nervousness and driving was not a good thing. Fortunately for her, her mother calmed him down a bit before he could hit a tree or anything else near their driveway. They left the driveway without incident and headed for the harbor.

**Vaughn's Scene**

"DAMN IT!" he yelled as he quickly got dressed.

He really shouldn't have been watching movies last night to get his mind off of 'Sunny Island'. Even though he hated the place and the name of the island itself, it should have given him no reason to do what he did. He decided to kick himself later and try to catch the ferry before it left him. Even though he always found his life to be full of failures, he felt a little glad that he didn't live far from the docks. If he at least jogged to the docks, he would be there about 5 minutes before it would be time for the boat to leave. Once he finished dressing up, he grabbed his work toolbox, his keys to his small apartment and headed towards his front door. He opened it, looked behind him once more to make sure everything was as it should and he left.

He really was lucky. He did make it to the dock on time, but with only about 2 minutes to spare. The captain of the boat took his name for reasons unknown to him and a small fee for him to board the boat itself. Not too long after he sat down on a small stool next to a barrel, did the horn on the boat sounded off- signaling that it was ready to leave. After the crew did their job the boat start sailing towards 'Sunny Island', a two hour voyage. He decided that he'll catch up on his sleep a little. He put his head down a little, lowered his hat a little, and folded his arms over his chest before he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

**Mark's Scene**

Mark woke up _much_ earlier then he usually did. Of course, he blamed his emotions the night before. He barely had any sleep last night. He just kept waking up every few hours and then it would take 10 minutes or more just to go back to sleep, while tossing and turning. He was too happy! He kept feeling butterflies in the pit of his stomach and they kept getting more serious as time went by. So, he finally decided to just get out of his bed and go for a walk.

He, of course, had to literally force his feet to not walk towards the beach, where he knew the boat would be in about two hours. He instead headed towards the forest to try to calm his mind. He figured that if he was in a calm and relaxing environment, maybe his nerves would calm down enough before his employee showed up. Employee… He would never get use to that…

Most, if not all of his life, he would be the one working for someone else, someone in a higher position then him. He would take orders and then just do them without argument. And he always felt delighted to do his duties. But, over time, he felt that people depended on him too much. He knew that if he failed his duties, his boss would be blamed and then he would be blamed by his boss… He realized now, that it was probably the biggest reason of why he left the city… To stop being the one where people depended on him. But, of course, fate had something different in mind for him. The ship he was on had to sink and be destroyed, making him land on an abandoned island. And of course, his luck had to get worse with him being stranded on the island with other people as well. Strangers to him at the time… These strangers that he ended up with somehow voted him to be the one to make the once abandoned island flourish again- by being a rancher…

Mark realized that he reached the forest now. He shook his head to erase any types of thoughts from his head in an attempt to calm himself.

"_I have to try to look into the future now…_"

He walked slowly on the path in the forest and looked at the beautiful scenery. The sun was up just enough for him to see a few feet ahead of him and through some of the trees. He stopped and took a deep breath in, and slowly let it out.

"_Since I came here though… I have felt so… Relaxed and more cheerful then usual…_"

"_But you feel incomplete somehow…_" the annoying, tiny, voice said in the back of his head.

Mark sighed out loud.

He hated that tiny voice in his mind. That tiny voice only thought of negative thoughts or thoughts that could quickly wipe the smile off his face. He always wondered if the tiny voice in his head was really his. It sounded so- unlike him… He has always been an optimistic person as far he was concerned, no matter how bad the situation might be.

He let the palm of his hand hit his forehead hard to again erase any negative thoughts. He again focused his attention on the scenery before him. He didn't leave the forest until he was sure that the boat would be heading towards the beach, and by that time, he felt like himself again.

**Chelsea's Scene**

She was leaning against the rail on the deck of the boat. She could see the island in the distance, and she knew she would be there in a few minutes or less. She sniffed the air and smelled nothing but the salt from the sea. She had a feeling that she would like the island, though she still wasn't sure about the people.

During the trip, she wanted to get some sleep before she got there to not appear tired, but, she couldn't go to sleep. Once she was up and about, it was practically impossible for her to go back to sleep- or even take a nap. So, instead, she explored the ship and asked questions about the ship, mostly about its inner workings. She even asked questions concerning if some things that she read from fiction books are true. A few things she mentioned were true, while others weren't true.

During her exploring, she found various animals below deck, obviously being transported to the island or to some other destination. She however decided to not bother them too much, she didn't know how their caretaker would feel if she played with them or not- and she didn't want to find out. Another thing, or person rather, she found interesting was a guy on deck that was dressed like a cowboy. She wanted to introduce herself and see where he was going. But, to her disappointment, the cowboy (she decided to call him that for now) was asleep the whole time, not even stirring a little with the constant rocking of the boat. She did consider the possibility of splashing water on the guy's face, just to wake him, but she decided against that idea quickly. She didn't want her first day away from home to be unpleasant, even if there was a possibility that the cowboy would laugh. So, she left the cowboy alone and did her best to bring her curiosity to other things.

She rested her hands behind her head and rocked on the heels of her red fishermen-like boots. Everything she wore was brand new, except for the red bandana on her head. The red bandana that she wore was a gift from her mother, a special gift.

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~FLASHBACK~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

_"Take this Chelsea," my mother said as she held a red bandana in her hand._

_I remember looking at it with an eyebrow raised and looking at my mother with a questioning look._

_ "A bandana?" I said, confused about the weird final gift I would get from my mother._

_My mother nodded and she had this dreamy look in her eyes._

_ "I wore this exact bandana when I met your father…"_

_I looked at my mom in shock. I knew how my parents met, but she never mentioned anything about a red bandana._

_ "I got that bandana on the same day I met your father… I brought it from a fortuneteller, and she told me that this red bandana would bring me my true love… At that time, I brought it because I felt sorry for the woman, not because of what she told me… But, funny how I found your father while wearing this…" my mother thoughts drifted off._

_I smiled and took the bandana from my mother. I immediately tied it around my head with a little of my hair tucked in, to not lose such a valuable gift._

_ "But, why are you giving this to me now?" I asked her._

_My mother sighed and smiled at me, though it looked sad._

_ "Chelsea, I am very glad that you have attended college and would have a successful future… But, I don't want you to grow up alone… Of course, I could be wrong; maybe you don't feel that way at all… But, sometimes life seems better when you share it with a special someone… Understand?"_

_I, of course, understood her. During my college years, I never really paid any attention to the guys in my classes- or outside of class. I worked hard on my schoolwork and I hung out with my friends from high school. I always felt happy and I never really felt alone as far as I knew. But, maybe my mom had a point. I have to think about this more in the future… I received a kiss on the cheek from my mom and my dad hugged me lightly and patted me on the back- they both wished me luck before I boarded the ship._

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~END OF FLASHBACK~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

Without even realizing it, the boat had stopped on the beach. Chelsea walked away from the rail and waited for the plank to be lowered so that she could get off of the boat and meet her boss, Mark. She looked at her wristwatch and was happy that it just turned 6 o'clock.

"_I made it…!_" she thought.

While she was waiting, she couldn't help but look around. And that was when she noticed that the small stool next to the barrel was unoccupied. Obviously the cowboy that was sitting there got up at some point, probably when she was too busy remembering her goodbyes to her parents... Just then, the captain appeared and ordered some of his crew to lower a plank for his passengers to get off. Chelsea walked up to the captain.

"Excuse me sir?"

"Yeah?" he said, though not looking at her, but at the clipboard in his hand, making sure everything was in order.

"I wanted to know who is going to help me carry my stuff to…"

She made the sentence drift off. Because she honestly didn't know where she lived at yet… Or if she even had a place to live at... She felt stupid right then.

"Well, until you know where they need to be dropped off, then you can't ask them to be moved anywhere… Though, you do have to pay an extra fee for them to stay here, especially if they are staying overnight."

Chelsea sighed to herself. She just got here and she already was having a bad start…

"Name please?"

"Chelsea Candid."

The captain looked down the list on his clipboard and his eyes widened.

"Oh… Well, I do apologize… It seems that you have already paid for your luggage to stay here until late tomorrow night… So, you're good to go then!" he said with a smile, obviously trying to hide his embarrassment.

Chelsea nodded and already had an idea of how her stuff was already paid for. She turned away from the captain and happily skipped down the plank while humming to herself.

**Mark's Point of View (POV)**

I was waiting on the beach, waiting for my partner (thought it was more suitable then 'employee') to appear. I already knew that my partner would be a woman, but I didn't know what she looked like, how old she was or anything else either- except her skills.

I saw the plank being lowered and waited patiently for my partner to show themselves down the plank. I heard someone humming, and had a feeling it would be my partner. And that was when my heart skipped a beat and I swore that time stood frozen around me.

The young woman that appeared was breathtaking! She wore a short sleeved orange jacket that was open, with a yellow shirt under it, she wore white work gloves (though they looked to nice to be work gloves)_**(7)**_, a wristwatch that was red, blue denim-like shorts, red rubber-like boots, and a red bandana tied around her head. The thing that caught my attention the most were her blue eyes- reminding me of both the sea and sky- and... My hand went to my neck, where the pendant_**(8)**_ was safely tucked under my white undershirt. I didn't have time to dwell on the chances of it, because she skipped happily up to me.

**Vaughn's POV**

I was below deck taking care of the animals and made sure that they made it through the trip okay. All of the animals looked fine to me. I decided to leave them for now, knowing I'll come back later to bring them to Aunt Mirabelle's shop. I just had to make sure the back door to the barn was open first_**(9)**_. As I walked up the stairs to reach the deck again, I hoped to myself that that annoying cheerful looking woman wasn't around. I knew that during the trip that she wanted something from me, I kept feeling her presence near me. Of course, I kept my eyes closed during the whole trip and ignored her. I was tired as hell, but I was a light sleeper, I had to be just in case any of the animals cried out from fear or for any other reason.

Once I reached the deck, I was glad that the woman wasn't there. Though she could be hanging around on the beach…

"Damn my luck if she is…" I mumbled under my breath.

I walked down the plank and looked around the beach and she was there- with that annoying rancher as well. Why was she talking to him of all people? And, why was that rancher at the beach this early in the morning anyway? Shouldn't he be taking care of his farm- and the animals? And that was when my anger surged; he looked like he was skipping chores today. If it wasn't for the animals, I wouldn't care. But, since that wasn't true…

I walked towards the two with a clear scowl on my face- the visit to Aunt Mirabelle's will have to wait.

**Chelsea's POV**

When I got off of the boat and looked around the beach, I didn't expect to see anyone there. And that was when I saw the strangely green-eyed guy. I could have sworn I saw a hint of a blush on his face, but I assumed it was the morning mist and his cheeks turned red from the cold (I felt cold myself).

I skipped towards him, about to ask him for directions to the ranch where my boss would surely be waiting. But, once I got close enough to him, I realized that the guy _had_ to be my boss- judging by the way he was dressed. He wore blue denim overall with a white undershirt, a brown short sleeved jacket, red work gloves, black rubber-like boots (similar to mine), a baseball shaped cap that he wore backwards with some of his blonde hair sticking out of the hole, a small red bandana around his neck, and a green rucksack on his back.

"Hi, my name is Chelsea! And I assume you are Mark Mills?"

I saw him shake his head slightly to the side and then he nodded his head.

"Um… Which is it? Are you or are you not Mark Mills?"

And that was when he opened his mouth.

"I-I'm sorry. Yes, I am Mark Mills. I-I'm just a little excited is all," he said as he scratched the back of his head.

He then seemed to regain his composure as he extended one hand to me. I took his hand with my own and we did a firm handshake. We let go shortly after.

"So, how much…"

I realized he stop speaking and was looking behind me, and I could have sworn I saw a slight glare in his eyes, but, it could have just been me…

I turned around in time to see that the same cowboy from the boat was walking, or more like fast walking, towards us with a scowl on his face. I backed up a little when he got close enough. He looked at Mark coldly and said in a gruff voice, "So, you're skipping on your ranch work today? Seems like you're getting lazy."

I looked at them both, from one to the other.

"_Well, this isn't good… I just got here and I'm already seeing the bad side of things…_" I thought.

I looked at Mark, and I could see that he was trying his best not to lose his own temper.

"I'm neither skipping work nor being lazy, Vaughn…" Mark said through his teeth.

And then as quickly as Mark's anger came, his anger faded. He looked towards me with a wave of his hand (a polite gesture), "I'm here to greet my new partner who is going to help me with the ranch. Her name is Chelsea."

I looked up at the cowboy's, Vaughn (as Mark called him) face. And he had eyes that were a strange color of purple… Since he wasn't up during the boat trip, I didn't get to really look at his face- or eyes… I ignored his eyes and focused on his face. The face expression he held was blank at first, but then it turned back into a slight frown. He looked back at Mark.

"And you expect another person from the city to take care of the animals? Probably someone who is just as lousy at it as you, or worse?"

I remember frowning.

"_Well that was uncalled for. He doesn't even know me and he's already making assumptions that I would be bad at my job._"

I didn't scowl or anything when I responded, but I still held the frown on my face, "I know how to take care of animals! I did two summer internships back when I was in high school at a well known farm!"

I wasn't sure, but I thought I saw Vaughn's face turn into shock.

**Vaughn's POV**

"_Opps…_"

That was the only word that went through my mind when the woman, Chelsea, said that she worked with animals before (even if it could have been many years ago for her). And I knew I had to say something to fix the situation that I caused.

"_Just say that you're sorry and it'll be fine…_" my conscience said to me.

I looked down at Chelsea, and she still had that slight frown on her face. I opened my mouth to apologize, or so I thought I would…

"Well then, there isn't a need for me to teach you anything concerning the animals, is there?" I said instead.

I guess it was the closest I could get to apologizing, if it can be even called that. I expected her to frown more or say something else that would probably piss me off, but she surprised me when she sighed and said, "No, I guess not. I did learn a lot during those internships and I still remember the knowledge from the experience… But, I would gladly learn more. So… I'm assuming you take care of the animals?"

I was about to respond, but that rancher Mark beat me to it.

"Vaughn is the livestock dealer. He is the one that supplies the animals to Mirabelle's shop. And, he only comes here on Wednesdays and Thursdays. So you won't be seeing _much_ of him."

I growled. The rancher was _really_ pushing my temper! But, I managed to at least not punch him- yet… I just nodded my head slightly, basically saying it was true. I pulled down the rim of my hat a little.

"I don't have time to chat, I got work to do," I said as I turned away from the two and speed walked towards the exit to reach West Town.

From the corner of my eyes, I could see the two heading towards the exit as well, but at a slower pace. I walked faster, I didn't want to start my job later then required.

**Mark's POV**

I didn't realize that what I said to Vaughn was just as mean as to what he said to me, until later that day. But, there was nothing I could do about it. What was said has been said and done. Even if I wanted to apologize to him, he would just say something to piss me off or grunt in response. So, I decided to leave the issue alone.

As for Chelsea, she is a natural when it concerns farming- the animals mostly anyway... Her knowledge with growing crops wasn't so great, but her enthusiasm will probably change that in the future. And the notes I gave her on planting. I asked her to look at them overnight and to study it if possible. I needed her to learn enough about the crops, just in case I got sick or something else happened in the future. She even commented that I could probably make a book out of the notes I had, she told me that they were very detailed_**(10)**_ and could probably help a lot of ranchers in the future. I think I blushed on her comment…

As for her meeting the neighbors, she seemed nervous at first, but she opened up as she met one to another- especially when she met Denny. I swear that they both had been friends' way before I even introduced her to him, though she told me herself that it was her first time meeting Denny. And the issue about her house, I told her that I would pay for a house to be built for her. She seemed hesitant to take such a gift from me, so I told her to take it as an early birthday gift from me (her birthday is Spring 20th by the way)- and she felt more at ease after I said that. For now, she had to stay in a room at the hotel located in East Town until the house was finished- which it would be by tomorrow morning Gannon told me and her. I had to buy her a rucksack as well, since she didn't have one. She got a red one of course, and I told her to accept it as a gift as well.

Chelsea and I took a dinner break at the Diner around 7PM. The place was crowded of course, but we managed to find a table to eat at. Of course, Vaughn happened to be there as well (just my luck), but he did nothing, except sit as far as he could from anybody and he seemed to frown a lot more than usual towards me and Chelsea… He was obviously stilled pissed off about my words from earlier- not my fault, he did start it first… I ignored him, though Chelsea couldn't help but wave at him, being the nice person she is. I couldn't see his face, but he did respond by touching the rim of his hat to her.

We left after we ate. I took her to the hotel, reminded her what time to be at the ranch, and we said our goodbyes.

I took a quick shower once I returned home and put on my favorite dark blue pajama pants and shirt. I looked at the calendar, as I always do before I go to bed, and realized that the Goddess Festival would be in 4 days, on a Sunday… I smiled to myself.

"_Maybe Chelsea would go with me…_" I thought happily.

"_No she won't. And you want to know why? She just met you is why,_" the annoying tiny voice, my conscience, in my mind said.

I frowned.

"_I'll go with her as friends then… That won't be a big deal would it?_" I thought.

My conscience didn't answer. I shook my head. I _really_ needed to stop talking- or thinking to myself so much, or I might hurt myself…

I walked to my bed and sat on it. I pulled out the pendant that was tucked under my pajama shirt. The pendant, a special gift from my father, was a dark blue color. But, if I or anyone else, looked at the pendant closely enough, other colors could be seen, swirling against each other- as if in harmony… I gripped the special pendant in my fist lightly. I closed my eyes and said a silent pray to the Harvest Goddess for a good harvest this year and to have a blessing life, and the same for my neighbors (even for the jerk Vaughn). I tucked the pendant back under my shirt and I lay down on my back to sleep. I smiled to myself.

"_My life is blessed indeed,_" I thought as I drifted off to sleep immediately.

And throughout my dreams, something blue kept appearing. Whether it was from my pendant or Chelsea's eyes, I couldn't tell- but I didn't care either. Both meant the world to me.

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_

**AUTHOR'S COMMENTS/NOTES**

**(1)** _… approximately 275.4 pounds of yogurt, 0 pounds of yarn, and 0 pounds of mayonnaise_: This was marked because, obviously, cheese can't be measured in gallons like milk and other liquids can be. So, I went online, and I used a formula to change gallons to pounds. For those that are curious, it is multiply gallons x 8.3453. HOWEVER, that formula is for WATER, which is COMPLETELY different than milk (the elements are different as well). And since both are different, then the weight will be different. But, since I couldn't find a more accurate one, I decided to go with that one. Can you figure out how many gallons of milk were required to those items (in pounds) based on the formula?

**(2)** … _local businesses have been able to stay in the city and are not needed to move out because of competition with Wall-to-Wall Mart_: Wall-to-Wall Mart is a 'cover-up' for Wal-Mart in our own world. For those that don't understand about the local businesses part, what happens is that each time a Wal-Mart is built, local businesses go out of business (pretty much). The reason why is because a lot of people shop at Wal-Mart due to their 'cheap' prices on items. Every time someone buys an item there, a local business that sells the same or similar items will most likely go out of business. Some people don't realize that the economy is being damaged in this way… I would like to copy and paste my report on this issue, but, it would be too long and it would have NOTHING to do with the story. I'm just putting this small explanation here to clear things up… Also, the slogan 'Wall-to-Wall Mart' was used in a Nickelodeon cartoon, 'The Fairly OddParents', in the episode 'Just the Two of Us!' (and one other episode I believe).

**(3)** _Mayor Avarice_: Avarice is another word for 'greed'. You can pretty much guess what type of person the mayor is based on the name alone… The exact reason why I gave the mayor the name …

**(4)** _Gary Candid_: Gary, honestly, is just a common name. But, I truthfully used this name because I was thinking about my Pokémon story that I almost have done. Since Gary was in my story, and I knew how my story would end, I decided to give Chelsea's dad this name… Not to mention, Gary in the series (if I'm right) is a researcher- which can also be a doctor… As for the last name, Candid… Candid is also a word. A word that means 'honest' or 'truthful' (and other similar definitions as well). Which, in my opinion, I think is the perfect last name for Chelsea- it fits her personality.

**(5)** _Silla:_ I hope those of you that took Spanish recognized this word. If you didn't, I suggest restudying the material (no insult intended)… Silla is the Spanish word for 'seat'. I only chose this as Chelsea's mother name because I couldn't come up with one, so I used something that made no sense. Not one of my best…

**(6)** _… famous comic book characters_: Notice that I wrote 'famous comic book characters', and NOT anime/manga characters. It's nice and all, but, it is too- predictable. So, I gave her comic book heroes instead, like Superman, Spiderman, the Hulk etc. Who said a girl can't like that stuff too?

**(7**_**)**__… white work gloves (though they looked to nice to be work gloves)_: For those of you confused if she wears gloves or not- she doesn't… I saw an official picture of Chelsea, and I _thought_ she was wearing white gloves. For some reason, my eyesight interpreted the line of her short sleeved yellow shirt to be the end line for gloves (and I didn't see the sleeve either)… Sorry about the confusion there… I seriously need glasses- not as big as Elliot's or Sabrina's though…

**(8)** _…the pendant_: This pendant came from an old Harvest Moon game. To be exact, Harvest Moon 3 for Gameboy Color. The only thing I did different was change the color of the pendant. The pendant in HM3 was made from a moonstone- which are silver like (and shiny). In this story, Mark's is dark blue. His pendant would most likely be made from Adamantite. But, since it changes colors (kind of) when one looks close, it would most likely be made from Orichalc. Both ores/gems I mention can be found in the mine in the game (not HM3).

**(9)** _… back door to the barn was open first:_ This is technically something that doesn't make sense… In the game, Mirabelle sells animals and that means she has animals _somewhere_ around her house (proven with Julia's Blue Heart Event 2, if the main character is a boy- Mark). However, it is strange that the back door or ANY type of door can't be found that would lead to these animals. In fact, I can't even find a door anywhere that would indicate where Vaughn even sleeps! Does he sleep on the floor! Weird…

**(10)** _… out of the notes I had, she told me that they were very detailed_: For those of you that don't know, taking care of the plants in this game is more- difficult than in previous HM games… In this game, the crops can only be watered (called water points) but so many times and can have but so much sun (called sun points). If it has too much of either- the crop dies of course… So, in the story, Mark obviously learned this as he got better with crops. And, as I think a good rancher should know, is how much water and sun a plants need. And to also keep up with how much sun and water a plant already has when it is close to harvesting (or when the weather changes). Same goes for the greenhouse, except in there, the environment is controlled. Though, only but so much (since the 'sun' can only give one sun point a day). For example, Mark would know that it would take exactly 25 days for cabbage to grow inside of the greenhouse. But, the cabbage could grow within 14 days outside (if the appropriate sun points are meant of course). Now why would I explain this? Because I have to keep up with the days in the story and make sure that it makes sense. Besides the events that are going on with the people, I want to make sure the farming is 'realistic' (according to HM standards of course) as well. Otherwise, this shouldn't be called a Harvest Moon story at all.

Hmm… What on earth did I do! It seems to be looking like a Mark and Chelsea fanfiction to me! Well, eh, Vaughn has to have some competition, or it would be plain boring! Anyway, the bad stuff won't happen- yet. But, it's getting close!

**ORIGINAL UPLOAD DATE:** September 11, 2009 (9/11/09)

**RE-UPLOADED:** July 8, 2012 (7/8/12 – 4th time)

**BETA READ BY: **WolfCrystal, 2011


	3. Chapter 2, The Neighbors

**Chapter 2, The Neighbors**

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**SPRING 5TH – THURSDAY**

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**Chelsea's POV**

I got up on time, or at least before the alarm on my wristwatch went off. I looked at my wristwatch and it read 5:30 AM. I yawned loudly and looked around me. I almost thought everything that happened yesterday was a dream, but I now knew that it wasn't. I got off the bed and walked over to the dresser that had a mirror attached to it- and where I left my shorts, jacket, and my red bandana at. The only thing I left on last night to bed was my shirt and my underpants.

I put on my shorts and jacket. I looked in the mirror and fixed my hair the best I could with my hands. Since I left my luggage on the ship, I couldn't really do anything with my hair… I finally put on my red bandana and I walked to the door, where I left my boots and rucksack_**(1)**_. I put them on and looked at my watch again; I still had a little time before work. I looked towards the table where tea from yesterday and Mark's notes rested. I walked over to the table and had some of the cold tea anyway, it would be my breakfast for now… As I drunk my tea, I glanced at the notes. I managed to read most of it yesterday, but I hardly remembered half of it. I needed a little more time with it…

"I'm going to have to ask Mark if I can borrow his notes for a few more days…" I muttered as I put the teacup back on the table.

I left my room, deciding it was time for me to head to the ranch. The lobby was empty of course; most of the guests were asleep still or were up and pacing their room… I left the hotel and walked down the stone road, that I had to admit looked nice… I walked slowly, passing by the pop-star, Lanna's, house, then the gourmet man (more like child) house, Pierre's, and then I passed the owner of a mining company mansion, Regis and his daughter Sabrina. I ended up in West Town, and then I decided it was time for me to speed walk. I didn't want to be late on my first day to work…

As I reached the farm, I saw Mark in front of his house, obviously waiting for me. He waved at me with a bright smile on his face.

"Good morning Chelsea!" he said with his most cheerful voice.

I laughed and said the same back to him.

"Well, are you ready to work?"

I nodded my head in response.

"Of course you are! If you have any questions, feel free to ask me!"

I nodded my head again. Just then, I heard some loud heavy footsteps behind me. I turned and nearly jumped out of my skin. I forgot that Gannon was coming over to the ranch to tell Mark and me about my house… My house… I have to admit that it sounds better then 'my apartment'…

"Morin'. I jus' came by to tell ya that the house is finished. The house is located in East Town, its' the big red roof one. Go by and take a look when ya have the chance. That's all," Gannon said.

Gannon then handed over the keys to me and then he turned and left.

"Wow… It's amazing that he can build a house in one day…" I said as I put my keys in my rucksack.

Mark nodded his head in agreement.

"When we're done for today, I'll gladly come with you to take a look at the place... That is, if you don't mind…"

I nodded my head once again.

"Oh yeah! The stuff you need is in my rucksack already," Mark said.

He took his rucksack off of his back and went through the contents. He pulled out the milker, the animal brush, the bell, the clippers, and the pet food (have no idea why it is called that). I will never figure out how a rucksack that looks so small can hold so much stuff- I wonder if a whole pie can be pulled out of there as well? Before I could dwell on the question, he handed all of the stuff to me.

"Do you remember everything I told you about the wonderfuls_**(2)**_ on tools?"

I nodded my head, something I will do a lot I'm sure.

"Then you know what purple wonderfuls will do each time you use those tools."

I looked at the milker and the tiny wonderfuls that were attached to it, counting only the purple ones.

"You have ten purple wonderful attached to it, so I will earn twenty gold each time?"

Mark nodded his head in response.

"You got it! Now, you can go to work while I…"

He turned to look towards his field, filled up with many rows of crops and only two rows with different fruit trees. As far as I could tell, he had to harvest a lot of turnips, at least 3 rows were filled with turnips. I couldn't imagine what he had to harvest inside his greenhouse… I heard him sigh to himself.

"I might not be able to accompany you to look at your house… I think I'll be here until at least two in the afternoon… So, I'll come by your house later instead…"

I saw that he looked embarrassed. I shrugged my shoulders, not really caring much if he comes by or not.

"No big deal Mark. I'll see you around."

I put all of the things he gave me into my rucksack and he walked off to his fields. I then headed towards the stable where his horse, Dash, would be at. As soon as I entered, the horse went up to me and neighed. I patted his head gently and took out the pet food from my rucksack. I placed food into one of the available feeding bins and then I used the brush to brush Dash down. I was slightly surprised that my shorts became a little heavier, but then I remembered that it was probably the gold that appeared in my pockets. I need to remind myself to get a bag or something…

When I finished with him, I skipped happily out of the stable and went to the chicken coop. The chicken coop was large enough to hold at least twelve chickens, but Mark only had one inside- with all of the feeders filled up with food, except for a few. I shook my head. He told me yesterday that the reason he filled up all of the feeders with food was just in case a storm came and he couldn't get out of his house to feed the animals- or just in case he forgot to come check on the animals that day... It made sense to me, but why didn't he at least fill up half the coop with chickens? I have to ask him if I could buy more chickens…

I searched around the coop, looking for the one egg the chicken, Peck, laid. I found it next to one of the feeders and I put it into my rucksack. I picked up Peck and patted its head lightly. I only stayed for a few more minutes before I put Peck back down and left to go to the barn next.

The situation was the same, only one cow, Steak, with all of the feeders filled with fodder. He also told me yesterday, that the reason he named his cow 'Steak' was because he meant it as a joke. There would be no way that he would hurt the poor cow and make food out of it. Personally, I didn't find it very funny…

As soon as the cow saw me, it shuffled itself towards me. I didn't expect the cow to get use to me so fast, but maybe it just liked me… I milked the cow with the milker first, then I brushed her down, and then I finally pet Steak and talked to her a little. The ten gallons of milk she produced, I put it into the shipping bin along with the one egg. I then left the barn, and I saw Mark on the field still pulling turnips out of the ground- with ease I might add. He stopped his work, probably felt my gaze on him, and he looked in my direction.

"Finished already!" he yelled across from his field.

I ran up to where he stood and stopped in front of him.

"What do you think?"

He chuckled.

"I figured as much. Well, remember what I told you yesterday. Anything that you ship, all of the gold is yours."

"I know, and the stuff is picked up at 5PM and I get my gold every morning in the mailbox. I got it."

He nodded his head in agreement.

"Your payment from yesterday's work is in my mailbox, if you want it now. Your payment for today should be in your mailbox by tomorrow morning_**(3)**_."

He pulled up another turnip and continued his work as he talked.

"I think I mentioned everything to you… Wait! There is one thing I forgot to mention…"

He stopped as he pulled on another turnip, one that was being stubborn.

"Did I mention anything about paying bills?"

I looked at him in surprise.

"No, you didn't mention anything about bills. And, why exactly am I paying bills? I thought this island was abandoned and everything that is built here is— kind of free pretty much…"

Mark managed to pull out the stubborn turnip and then he put it in his rucksack with the rest.

"Well, it is true that this island was abandoned. But, that doesn't mean that nobody owned this island… Unfortunately, some old guy owned the island. And the reason why he didn't do anything with it was because he didn't know what to do with it. Some town use to be here, but as you know, people started to abandon the town. And it had been like that since, until I came along that is… Once I made the island famous enough, that was when the old guy wanted his 'share'_**(4)**_. In other words, we pay him rent to be on his island- or we leave…"

"And if somebody doesn't pay rent, what will he do?"

"The repo-man comes of course…"

"And you know about that how?"

Mark didn't say anything; he instead pulled on another turnip. I sighed.

"Let me guess… You forgot to pay the rent once and the repo-man came…"

Mark nodded his head, his face a little red- though it could have been because of his work and not from embarrassment.

"The repo-man took my table and a few other things… But, I was able to replace them with replicas… But, since then, I haven't forgotten to pay my bill once. And, lucky for me, the bills only come once a month. Twice if you forget to pay the bills…"

I sighed. Mark stopped his work and wiped his glove covered hands on his overalls.

"Don't worry; the bill isn't much. I told him that if the bills that he sends are too much, I will gladly head off of the island and return home. He knows that if I leave, the island will be abandoned overtime- probably in one season. So, he only charges about 1,000 gold a season."

I even knew that 1,000 gold wasn't a lot, luckily… Mark continued his work.

"Um Mark… I want to ask you something…"

He looked up at me, though he continued his work.

"Yeah?"

"How much do cows and chickens cost?"

He didn't say anything at first, but I saw a smile on his face.

"You just reminded me that I need to call someone, and that I needed more animals anyway…"

He stopped his work for a second and motioned his hand at me- to follow him. He headed towards his house and opened his door. He invited me in and I gasped when I stepped inside. His house looked huge, not as huge like Sabrina's mansion, but it looked big enough. He had a square table with three chairs surrounding it, a big kitchen to my right, two beds (odd), his bathroom, a large red cabinet next to it, a large red refrigerator next to that, a calendar on his back wall next to a window with a clock above it_**(5)**_, a black telephone, a small trash bin, one large red toolbox by his door, and some other large red box next to that one. I looked at him and he smiled back.

"It feels like home right? I bet your house is even better though," he commented.

He waved a hand toward his fridge and told me to help myself.

I walked over to his fridge and opened it. Inside of his fridge, he had plenty of every type of vegetable and fruit that I could imagine- including some condiments like ketchup_**(6)**_. I looked through his fridge and took out an orange, though I craved for the grapes as well. While I was peeling the orange, he was going through his cabinet. I couldn't help but look over his shoulder and see what was inside of the cabinet. I couldn't really see what was inside. He stopped going through his cabinet and looked at me from the corners of his eyes. I looked away and blushed from embarrassment. I had a feeling that he was smiling. He tugged at my arm and led me to the cabinet, making me be able to take a closer look at his contents. The drawer he had opened had different color wonderfuls, and different types of gems. He then opened the next drawer and there were more different types of gems. He opened the next one, and this one had gray tablets with writing on them inside. I looked at him questioningly.

"Those are called lithographs_**(7)**_. I find a lot of these in the mines… I can't read the ancient writing on them, but I have contacted an archeologist named Carter_**(8)**_. He thinks that these things are pages from a diary or something. From some extinct culture…"

I then understood why he was collecting them.

"You think these writings will have more information about Wada's tribe_**(9)**_?"

I didn't get to meet Wada and Shea yesterday, but Mark mentioned them to me once or twice. Mark nodded his head of course.

"But, didn't you tell me the mine is located near the mountain?"

I never got to see the mine. Mark promised me that he would let me explore the mine another time.

"Yes… But that doesn't mean his tribe didn't migrate… Maybe they had to move because the mountain became dangerous…"

I just shrugged my shoulders, but nodded silently in agreement. He made a lot of sense… Though, the mountain didn't look dangerous to me… He then opened the next drawer, and inside were plenty of bags of chicken feed, plenty of fodder, and plenty of bags of pet food. I don't know why the fodder was in there, but it was, and I decided not to ask him. He opened the next drawer, and found what he was looking for. There were at least a thousand of the bags inside, with something in each of them. He took only one out and closed the drawer back. He handed me the bag.

"Inside that bag is exactly 50,000 gold. That should be enough for you to get some more animals."

I looked at him in surprise.

"50,000 gold! You mean… Each of those bags in there…"

I let the sentence drift off… There was no way that he had _THAT_ much gold in there_**(10)**_.

"No, you're right. Each bag that you saw has gold in it."

He shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't need much money. So, I save it and let it collect dust pretty much…"

"B-But you can have a big mansion! Probably as big as Sabrina's!"

I saw him shake his head.

"No. Then I might have no choice but to pay a lot more for rent."

Again, he made sense… If Mark did get a mansion, it might give that old man an idea to increase rent as well… And not just for him either, probably for all of the residents on the island…_** (11)**_

"_Wow… He really thought it all through…_"

"Besides, if things get rough, I might need to use that gold. So, I just save it up and leave it alone… Or it could be used as retirement money."

"_Or for you to take a very long vacation,_" I thought.

I put the bag of gold into my rucksack and started to eat the orange. I threw away the peelings into his trash bin.

"So, how many animals can I get?"

Mark shrugged his shoulders as he headed towards his door.

"Get as many as you like."

"_I was hoping that he would say that._"

I smiled as I exited out of his home with him trailing behind me.

* * *

**Vaughn's POV**

I was busy taking care of the animals in the barn, when my annoying and hyper-like blond cousin came to bother me.

"Hey Vaughn, you know that new rancher girl is here to buy some animals. My mom asked me to tell you to be on your best behavior," Julia said.

I ignored her of course. It wasn't like I was going to tease on the cheery rancher.

"You heard me Vaughn?"

"Yeah, whatever," I grunted in response.

For some odd reason, my cousin laughed. I heard her walking away. I stopped brushing the calf I was taking care of and patted its head before I left the barn to go back inside my aunt's shop through the back door. Of course, my aunt was behind the counter and was talking to that female rancher while Julia was sitting on one of the stools, listening. I folded my arms over my chest and leaned against the wall. I waited patiently for them to finish. Not even a minute passed before my aunt pointed in my direction. That rancher skipped happily towards me… What the hell is she so happy about anyway?

"I already paid Mirabelle for four calves, one lamb, and three chickens," she said.

I looked towards my aunt and she nodded in agreement. I looked back at Chelsea.

"Follow me then."

I stood up straight and I went out the back door, with Chelsea following behind me. We reached the barn and entered. Once inside, she literally ran pass me and looked at the animals with an eager look on her face. She looked like a child at a candy store. I shook my head at her behavior.

"So, I can pick any of these?"

"Yeah. As long as you only get what you paid for."

She nodded her head in understanding as she looked at the animals again. I again played the waiting game. I was kind of surprised she wasn't bugging me, like she tried to do on the ship. Maybe her curiosity was just a onetime deal…

"_Or Julia…_" my conscience said.

That could be it… I don't know how long she took, but it felt like at least ten minutes went by when she finally picked the ones she wanted. I took some rope off a hook and tied it around each calves and the one lamb's neck, gentle but tight enough. I held the rest of the rope in my right hand.

"We will take these to the ranch first, and then come back for the chickens."

She just nodded her head.

"Should I take one or two of those off of your hands?"

I was going to tell her no, but before I could respond, my arms moved first. I gave her two ends of the rope, giving her two calves. Once she took the rope from me, I exited out of the barn with the animals in front of me, she followed along.

We walked along the path towards Mill's Ranch, not in a hurry because the calves she had to pick were the ones that had a strange habit of being curious of _everything_. So, we had to stop every few seconds. I didn't mind, at least they were quiet and being cooperative. I like quiet… Of course, Chelsea had to open her mouth to talk.

"How come you're dressed like a cowboy?"

In response, I looked at her with a dark glare. As I expected she shuttered under my stare.

"I didn't mean to offend you, I'm just curious is all…" she said.

I looked away from her and ignored her of course. I heard her sigh, but I didn't bother looking at her. I was about to pull the calves toward the ranch, since they were taking a little too long, but that was when- something happened…

The animals I had suddenly ran to my left (didn't know they were _that_ fast) and the animals Chelsea had ran to her right, making us bump into each other, her head hitting my chest. For some odd reason, the animals ran around and around us, basically tying me and Chelsea together. I don't know why the animals went a little out of control there, but, I knew that I would personally scold them when I got out of this- situation… Since me and her were tied together, Chelsea had her head against my chest and the rest of her was a little too close for my liking, though I was probably a little too close for her liking as well. If I didn't know better, I swear I heard the calves and lamb laughing. I gritted my teeth in frustration.

"H-How are we going to get out of this…?" Chelsea said, obviously nervous or something.

I looked down at her, and she was already looking up at me. She had this red blush against her cheeks and she looked— cute… Wait, what? I made a mental note to slap myself later.

"I don't know how we are going to get out of this…" I responded, though not in my usual gruff and cold voice.

And for some odd reason, I didn't want to be untied… Damn it! I'm going to have to bash my head against a wall later. Forget slapping myself!

"How about we ask for help?" she suggested.

"Does it look like there is anybody nearby?"

I felt her shake her head against my chest. I sighed.

"Then we're going to have to get ourselves out…" I said as I sighed.

I remembered that I had a pocket knife in my right back pocket of my pants. I had to use it earlier to cut one of the ropes short- it was too long… Usually I would put any of my tools back into my toolkit, not my pocket… Weird…

"Can you move your arms? Because I can't move mine."

I felt her nod her head against me.

"Good. I have a pocket knife in my right back pocket. Get it and cut us loose… Just don't cut yourself…"

I saw one of her arms move and then I felt her hand slide against my rear, trying to reach my back pocket. Though, to me, it felt like she was taking too long.

"If you're going to linger, you might as well grope my ass."

It took me a second to realize that I said that statement out loud- not think it.

"_Opps…_" I thought, a word that is suddenly becoming my favorite.

I looked down to see her face. I thought she would yell at me or defend herself, but her face turned even redder then before. Red like a tomato, even her ears were red. I couldn't help but smirk at her expression, she looked too damn cute. Of course, after I said the statement, I felt her take the knife out of my pocket. It didn't take her long to use it.

"_I hope she won't get the idea to use it on me because of what I said…_" I thought.

We were once again separated. She pushed off of me in a hurry and got the animals back in order. I just kept the smirk on my face as I took back the animals I had- and her face was still red.

* * *

**Mark's POV**

I was _still_ pulling up turnips. I looked at my blue wristwatch_**(12)**_, and it was only 11 o'clock. As I continued to pull up on turnips, I looked towards the path that would lead to West Town.

"_What's taking Chelsea so long to get the animals?_" I thought to myself again.

As soon as I asked myself that, I saw two figures appear on the path, with animals walking ahead of them. I was happy to see one of them, the other- I wasn't too happy to see. It's not that I hate Vaughn, I did try to be friendly with him, but he's just plain grouchy. And I just don't want his personality rubbing onto Chelsea, _especially_ Chelsea. I stopped pulling on turnips and looked at Chelsea's face as she got closer towards the field. I wasn't sure, but her face looked red. Is she angry? And if she is, why? Of course, the 'why' part wasn't hard to figure out. I frowned when I looked at Vaughn's face. And for some odd reason, he was smirking about something.

"_What in the name of the Harvest Goddess…? Why is he smirking…?_" I thought as my frown was replaced with confusion.

Neither one of them stopped and looked at me or even seemed to notice that I was there. It was as if I didn't exist. They walked straight to the barn with the animals. I just stood there. I don't know how many minutes went by, but they finally came back out, obviously leaving the animals in the barn. Again, they walked passed me without saying a word to me or even acknowledging that I was there. They walked back down the path that leads to West Town, and I kept staring until both of them were out of my sight.

"_What is wrong with that picture?_" I asked myself in my mind.

I decided that I would ask Chelsea about it later. Whatever it was that I saw, I'm sure she'll be willing to tell me.

* * *

**Vaughn's POV**

I saw that blond rancher frown at me from under the brim of my hat. But, I pretended to not see him and I kept the smirk on my face the whole time. Chelsea and I were heading back to my aunt's place now, but I couldn't help but wonder what was going through that rancher's mind. He probably was wondering why her face was red. My smirk widened a bit, I hope he is pissed.

We reached the shop and walked to the back of it. We approached the chicken coop this time. This time, Chelsea didn't take long to pick which ones she wanted. I took two chickens while she carried the last one. We left together. When we walked back, I couldn't help but look back at her face. Her face wasn't red anymore. Pity… I can easily fix that though…

"Well, at least with the chickens we can't be tied together," I said.

Her face instantly turned red again and she walked faster, being ahead of me. I couldn't help but chuckle.

We reached the ranch again, but this time, Mark was nowhere to be seen.

"_Hmm… He probably went inside his house or something…_"

We carried the chickens to the chicken coop. I put the two I had down and she put hers down as well. I turned to her.

"What are you going to name them?"

She seemed to ponder the question for a few moments.

"I'll name that one Eggy," she said as she pointed to one.

"That one Cheep," she said pointing to another.

"And that one Cluck," she said pointing to the last one.

I shook my head. She gave them such obvious names. I turned to go, but her voice stopped me.

"Thank you for helping me…"

"It's my job."

"I know… But thanks anyway…"

I simply nodded and then I exited out of the chicken coop. I paused for a moment, expecting her to come out of the coop as well- and she did. She didn't look at me, but she stopped in front of me and kept shuffling her feet.

"How much do I owe you?" she asked me.

I looked at her with an eyebrow raised slightly.

"I'm paid to be here. It's my job, remember?"

She nodded her head, then she turned away from me, and walked away. I followed her, not that I intended to, she was in front of me and there was only one exit out of the ranch…

Once we reached West Town, I headed in the direction where the bridge that would lead to the forest would be. Since I was finished with work, I decided to take a relaxing walk in the forest… Plus, it was peaceful enough there for me to think about— things… Maybe 'Sunny Island' isn't as bad as I originally interpreted as.

* * *

**Chelsea's POV**

I saw Vaughn walk away from me, towards the forest where the church, the Witch Princess, and the mountain would be.

"_Thank goodness…_" I thought in relief.

Vaughn looks mean and probably is, but he sure had a way to make my face turn red… I wish the incident with the animals didn't happen… Now I'm going to feel awkward every time I see him… Stupid cowboy…!

I hurried along the path that would lead me to the beach. I had to go claim my stuff now. I didn't have the chance to see my house, but I wanted it to be as much as a surprise to me as possible anyway…

Once I reached the beach, I walked up the boat and up the plank that was apparently left there overnight. The captain and his crew were already up and about, doing what sailors do best- talk. They stopped talking immediately when I approached the captain; close enough to hear if they continued to talk.

"Ready to get your stuff off my boat?" he asked.

"Yep! I know where they go too!" I chirped.

The captain nodded his head and started yelling orders to his crew. Some of the crew went below deck and returned shortly holding some of my bags. I turned away from the captain and walked down the plank with the men that were holding my stuff following me.

We made it to East Town where my house would be. At first, I didn't see anything new, but then I looked past Sabrina's mansion and Pierre's house. Down at the end of the path, before turning to pass Lanna's house, was a new house that I never seen before. Strange that I didn't see it earlier when I left for work…

The house did have a reddish roof like Gannon said it would, and it was big as Lanna's house, but not as big as Mark's. The house was completely made of logs, but smoothed out to make it look like smooth marble, like a cabin. As I got closer, I realized the wood was a reddish color and it had that new chopped wood smell to it- like new sneakers had when you went into a shoe store_**(23)**_. On the wood itself, there were different designs carved into it, small enough to not see them from a distance, but when looking at the house close… The designs that I saw from a glance were sailboats on a little puddle of water with the sun halfway hiding behind the water; a calf playing with its mother outside on a small green pasture surrounded by a few trees; another was a exact replica of the ranch with the field full of crops from different seasons, and others I didn't get to take a close look at. If the designs were in color- they would look very beautiful.

"_How could a big guy with big hands design such details on the house- and in one day!_" I asked myself in my mind.

I made a mental note to myself to thank Gannon more and to bring him a birthday gift- and possibly do a favor or two for him- he earned my gratitude. He obviously loved his work and was very proud of it… I also decided to thank Mark once again, if he hadn't paid for it…

"Are you going to open the door lady or not?" one of the crew members said impatiently.

I came out of my world and looked at the door.

The door was a little less detailed, but still nice… In the middle of the door was a heart with little swirls surrounding it. The door knob itself was in the shape of a cute cow's head, with the nose being the keyhole. I laughed lightly as I took out my keys.

There were two keys on it. One key was for the mailbox, which was against the house, next to the door. And the other key was obviously for the door to enter my house. I inserted the key into the keyhole and turned it, hearing a small click. I pushed open the door and took one step inside. And for the second time that day, I gasped. The house… _My_ house looked beautiful- too beautiful for words.

The walls themselves were red like outside, and had some designs on them as well, but larger than the ones outside. In the middle of the house, there was a large table surrounded by three chairs. I had a kitchen- a full kitchen by the look of it… The kitchen was to my left with a large fridge being the color of gold next to the counter, in a similar design like Mark's fridge. On the right side was a double sized bed (too big for just me) covered with clean looking white sheets and fluffy pillows, a red long rug was by the foot of the bed. I had to force myself to not jump onto it and laugh with glee. Not far from my bed was the bathroom, with two sliding doors like at Mark's house. Next to the bathroom was the calendar and a clock rested above the calendar. Next to that was two bookshelves- empty at the moment though… In the back was a single window with a gold cabinet next to it. Finally, next to the cabinet were two golden toolboxes and a door- hopefully a closet.

"Can you please move?" the same crew member from before said.

I walked inside and moved out of the way so that the crew members could come in. I pointed to an empty corner of where they could drop the stuff off at. All four of them came in and dropped my suitcases onto the floor, not very lightly either. I looked around, trying to find the light switch. I found the light switch by the door. I flicked it on and everything looked brighter in the room. I looked back at the crew members.

"Was there anything else on the ship that is mine?"

"A few more things, but, I'm sure only one of us is needed to bring it back. You don't need to come along," one of them said.

I nodded my head and they left my house, one of them to surely return. As soon as they left, closing the door behind them, I ran to my bed and jumped on it. I bounced on it and giggled happily.

"_The bed really was as soft as I thought it would be,_" I thought.

I got off the bed and ran to my suitcases. I took out the several replicas of my work outfit- orange jacket and all, except the red bandana of course, each on a hanger. I walked over to the door I saw earlier and opened it. The door really did lead to a closet, a closet large enough to hold all of my clothes! I hung up my work outfits first and then went through the rest of my suitcases, hanging up other clothes my mother insisted for me to bring. My other suitcase held some of my stuff animals, my smaller ones. I arranged them on my double sized bed and went back to the suitcases. I took out the new posters that I had and put them on the table, deciding to hang them up later. Just as I was about to walk back to my suitcases, there was a knock on my door. I went over to answer it- and there stood Lanna. She looked surprised momentarily, but then she smiled up at me and waved with one hand.

"Hey Chelsea! Is this really your house!" she asked, trying to look behind me.

She wore her usual dark green dress with the black ruffles at the bottom going through the pink and the white areas on her dress. And of course, she wore her green headband with one pink bow on each side_**(24)**_.

"Uh… Yes… Can I help you Lanna?"

"Your house looks nice on the outside- but how does it look on the inside?"

"Uh, thank you… I think…"

She looked up at me, obviously wanting me to invite her in- so I did. She walked passed me and looked around my house. I still stood by my door holding the door open. She faced me after her eyes absorbed everything in sight.

"Not bad, but it could be better!" she said with a smile.

I couldn't help but smile back. She kind of had the same effect as Denny. When Denny smiled, a person can't help but smile back- it would be awkward if one didn't… Though Vaughn is an exception…

"So, I'm assuming that you are going to stay on the island and not just visit?"

I closed my door, seeing that she wasn't going to leave right away.

"Yeah. I'm Mark's partner at the ranch. So, that would mean that I am going to be staying for a while."

Lanna giggled, though it sounded like a low soft note a violin might give.

"_Wow… She even sings through her laughter…_"

"I'm glad! Mark seems happier than usual!" she said.

I didn't understand what she was talking about, but I decided to ignore it. Mark _always_ looked happy, how could he look happier than he is already?

"I came over because, well, we're going to be neighbors… So, we might as well try to get to know each other," she said.

I motioned her to take a seat at the table. She did and I joined her.

"Sounds good to me. So, I know that you are a pop-star that is—retiring?"

She made this pouting face; it was hard to take her face expression seriously though.

"I'm not retiring! I'm here to take a vacation! The city world is just— too demanding. So, I decided to take a break from my career for a while…"

I can understand taking a break from the work world… Though, why did she have a house on the island instead of being in a room at the hotel or inn? I had no idea; it made no sense to me… But, I nodded my head in agreement to not be rude.

"I can relate to that… I use to work at a fast food place before I got here… I'm glad that Mark left his letter… It changed my life you know… Plus, it really is peaceful here… The people seem nice too," I admitted.

She giggled again.

"Oh don't worry! Everyone here is friendly! Especially Denny!"

Then her eyes looked like they went far away. I had a feeling I knew where the conversation would lead. I sighed through my nose, this was going to be a _long_ day.

* * *

**Mark's POV**

When Vaughn and Chelsea came back onto the farm, I wasn't there… I was inside the house talking to Mayor Avarice over the phone. He was happy to hear from me so soon and happy that he would be able to continue to do business with me. He was also happy about the news I gave him concerning animal products. I told him that I would be able to produce more because I decided to hire a partner to work with me on my ranch. However, an increase of produce will not happen for at least one season. I was happy that he said that his city should be able to hold on for at least one more season.

I was now, at the moment, looking at my crops inside of the greenhouse. None of the summer crops were ready to be harvested yet. I figured out a long time ago that whatever season it is outside, I would make the next season inside of the greenhouse. Since it was Spring outside, I'm growing Summer crops inside of the greenhouse. I watered the plants that needed watering and then I left. I skipped happily to my house and entered it. I felt bad that I wasn't there when Chelsea first moved in, or looked at her house…

"_I hope Gannon did what I asked…_"

I had requested Gannon to make the house look like a house that I saw on an ad once. It was junk mail, but for some reason, my mind remembered what the house looked like. Since I thought the house looked nice, I decided to ask Gannon to build it for her. Such a nice and intelligent woman like Chelsea deserved a nice house. My eye winced slightly, as if I was in pain.

"_Though the house cost me quite a bit of money…_"

I'm not even going to repeat how much it cost, but I will say that the price was about three full bags of the gold in my drawer. But, it won't be so bad… She deserves the best.

I smiled to myself as I went to my fridge. I looked through it and took out a vegetable sandwich that I didn't get to finish the day before. I took out the whole gallon of milk and drunk some from the cartoon itself before putting it back. I ate the rest of my sandwich and walked into the bathroom to take a quick shower.

Once I was out, I took out an exact replica of my farming clothes and put them on with haste. I wanted to see Chelsea's house… I was about to leave, but I went back to my fridge and took out some of the food I had and threw it into my rucksack. I then walked out of my house, leaving the door unlocked behind me, and walked down the path.

I reached Chelsea's house… And it looked better then I imagined… Gannon did a very good job on her house… I have to make sure I thank him again and possibly give him an extra bag of gold for his troubles… Not sure if he would like that though…

I skipped up to her door, and I noticed the cow head as the doorknob and the heart surrounded by swirls on the door. I smiled to myself.

"_Yes… He did an excellent job…_"

I knocked on her door. Not even a full minute went by when the door was opened by- Lanna!

"Uh…" I said, confused.

Maybe I did have the wrong house… Before I could apologize to Lanna and walk elsewhere, Chelsea appeared behind her, and then she smiled at me…

"_She has the most beautiful smile…_"

I felt my cheeks get a little hot, and I prayed to the Harvest Goddess, hoping that my embarrassment wasn't showing.

"Hey Mark! Do you want to come in?" she asked me.

I nodded. There was no way that I would pass up an opportunity like this! She opened the door wider and moved out of the way. I walked in and without being rude; I only took a glance around her house. Then I faced her.

"You're house is as nice as I thought it would be," I commented.

Her face turned slightly red.

"_So that is what she looks like when she blushes…_"

"Yeah. And it's all thanks to you," she said with a smile.

Yeah… Paying for her house was definitely worth it… I cleared my throat and then I took my rucksack off of my back. I opened it and showed her the contents inside of it.

"I decided to bring some food over to your house. Your fridge will be empty and I just thought I give you some of mine… You saw how full my fridge is."

She sighed, but smiled and shook her head.

"You're too kind Mark, really," she said as she took my rucksack and headed towards her fridge.

While she was busy with that, I took a closer look at her house. It really did look as beautiful as I imagined it- maybe even more so… I saw that most of her suitcases were empty, she was basically settled in already.

"Hey Mark," I heard her voice say.

I instantly looked towards her, only focusing on her voice and face.

"Do you think I can get my own fishing rod?"

I had to think for a second… I knew that I got my fishing rod from Taro and that it can't be updated with wonderfuls (a shame really)… Chen or Gannon didn't sell extra fishing rods… And I doubt either could order it for us… I relayed my thoughts to her.

"Really? Well that's too bad… Well, I guess Denny wouldn't mind…" she said, looking sad a little.

I had to force myself to not go to her and hug her, because that is what I _really_ wanted to do. A sad expression didn't suit her face, even if it was momentarily… Her sad expression quickly faded and was replaced with her usual smile.

"Okay! Let's go see him now!" she said as she put in the last item into her fridge and walked over to me.

I took back my rucksack and put it onto my back again. We left her house, with Lanna following of course. Chelsea locked her door and we walked down the path.

* * *

**Lanna's POV**

When I opened the door, and Mark was standing there, I almost laughed at his surprised face expression. I will admit that he's cute, but, just not my type… I could see on his face that he felt awkward, and probably was going to walk away. But, his face instantly brightened when Chelsea appeared behind me. And, as I expected, his face turned slightly red. There was definitely something going on between the two! Whether the puppy-love (for now) was one sided or not, I can't say.

When I talked about Denny to Chelsea earlier, her face expression was blank at the right places and she laughed at the right things I mentioned. So, I don't have to worry about competition for Denny- thank goodness… It's already hard enough to get him to focus. He has this horrible little habit of flirting with other girls that he sees- especially new ones… But, he doesn't go too far with it, so, I don't get that mad at him in the end… Unfortunately, I didn't get to ask Chelsea who she _might_ have a connection with. Since that was the exact time Mark knocked on the door… So, I will have to try some other time.

Since we were heading to Denny's place now, to go fishing, I might as well tag along. I love fishing just as much, it's so relaxing and it doesn't require a lot of skills to do!

We reached the beach and Denny was busy fishing, as expected. Mark got his attention by calling out his name. Denny turned, with his oh-so-adorable blank-like expression. He smiled and motioned for us to join him. I skipped up to him and sat down on the sand next to him. Mark sat on the other side of him and Chelsea decided to stay standing.

"So, what's up guys?"

Mark decided to answer his question.

"I'm tagging along with Chelsea because she needs a fishing rod. Do you think you have one that she can borrow for a while until we can figure out a way for her to own one?"

Denny looked up into the sky and closed his eyes. He looked so cute! I loved when he did that when he is deep in thought! But, he opened his eyes again and looked at Mark with a regretful expression.

"Sorry man. But, I only have this good rod here and the other two that I have are too small for Chelsea to be using."

I looked at Chelsea and her expression was blank, but I could tell that she was trying to hide her disappointment. I looked back at Mark and he frowned slightly, probably thinking of something else. His frown disappeared a second later and was replaced with a smile.

"That's okay Denny! I have another idea!" he exclaimed, a twinkle in his eye.

He stood back up and grabbed Chelsea by her wrist and pretty much dragged her towards the exit of the beach. Once I knew that they were gone and out of earshot, I looked back at Denny.

"Denny… You do have one extra rod. You let me use it all of the time."

He did that half-grin, something only he could pull off, and winked at me.

"I know," he said.

I then realized that he probably saw the same look on Mark's face whenever he looked at Chelsea; he probably noticed it yesterday when Mark introduced her to him. Denny really is something. But, I couldn't help but giggle at his little plan.

"Now, may I ask why you are helping such a beautiful girl to get with another guy?" I asked, teasing him now.

He chuckled before he answered.

"You know I only see one girl as beautiful."

"Oh? And who is that?"

He closed his eyes, pretending he was deep in thought.

"Well, she is a pop-star that is living here on this island temporarily to escape the pressures of her singing career. I have heard people call her a snooty brat, but I disagree with them."

I giggled at first, and then I frowned when I thought about the 'snooty brat' part.

"Hey! Who calls me a snooty brat!"

He opened one eye and looked at me.

"Does it matter?"

I huffed at his answer, but I couldn't be mad at him for long, so I smiled shortly after. He smiled back at me and focused his attention back to his fishing.

"I'm doing it, because you and I both know that Mark needs someone. I had a feeling that he was feeling a little lonely a while back. I think it's great that he found someone…"

"You're right of course… Though, what about your grumpy cowboy friend?"

Denny eyes showed sadness and worry.

"I don't know… He is… Hard to figure out… He has been a wanderer most of his life Lanna… It's hard for a man like that to stay in one place…"

"But, you're a fisherman… Don't you wander a lot too?"

Denny only nodded to my question.

"It's true that I am… But, I know when to stop… And I might stop permanently soon…" he said as he looked at me and smiled lightly.

I couldn't help but smile back. Yeah, Denny is definitely the best guy on the island.

* * *

**Shea's POV**

I was busy. Doing what I do best- hunting. I decide to hunt for fish. They are easy. Hardly fight back. And the parts are never wasted. I hear a sound in the jungle. Feet? I hid in the closest tree and peered through the leaves without being seen. And I saw Mark. But, another human was with Mark. A human girl? Human girl look strange to me. I have never met a human girl before. Wonder if they are like Mark…? What if human girl is not friend of Mark? What if Mark is being hunt by other human? I got my small stone knife ready and crouched down- ready to pounce…

* * *

**Mark's POV**

I didn't see him anywhere. Chelsea and I walked through the trees carefully, and slowly. I didn't want to startle Shea in _any_ way or attract dangerous animals… Maybe coming to the jungle a little past 5 o'clock wasn't such a good idea… I stopped for one moment, and that was when I heard Chelsea scream. I turned around and there was Shea. But, he was slightly on top of her and had his stone knife against Chelsea's throat while she was on the ground, trying to her best not to breathe. I slowly walked towards them.

"Shea… Please back away from her… She's a friend…"

Shea looked at me, confused obviously.

"Friend? She no hunt Mark?"

I shook my head.

"Friend. Chelsea is my friend."

He reluctantly got off of her and lowered his knife to his side- thankfully… I took a deep breath and sighed. I had to remind myself that Shea didn't know a lot of humans.

"Chelsea, meet Shea. Shea, meet Chelsea." I said, introducing them to each other.

Shea looked at Chelsea up and down.

"Chelsea no look like Mark…"

Chelsea chuckled nervously.

"Well, I am a girl. And not all humans look alike Shea." Chelsea said.

"Oh… I sorry for almost hurting Chelsea." He apologized to her.

Chelsea shook her head and smiled at him… And for some reason, that made my heart ache and my stomach twist into a small knot. I wasn't familiar with the feeling.

"_It's called jealousy… You're jealous of her smiling to other guys…_" That tiny voice in my mind said.

I pushed that statement out of my mind. I'm not jealous. Her smiling at other guys to be friendly towards them wouldn't make me jealous. I wouldn't be jealous towards any guys, especially towards someone as gentle as Shea. No, it must be me getting butterflies early because she might not go with me to the Harvest Festival- even as a friend…

Shea smiled back at Chelsea.

"I glad!" He said.

Shea then looked at me.

"Something Mark need?"

I nodded my head.

"If it's okay with you Shea… Can you teach Chelsea how to fish with your- spears?"

I saw Chelsea look at me in surprise and Shea's face was similar.

"Really! I teach Chelsea! I okay with it!" He said happily as he ran off- probably to get the items ready.

But, as soon as he left, Chelsea glared at me. I shuttered under her stare- I never seen her mad before…

"So, I'm going to learn how to fish- with spears? Do I look like some- barbarian to you or something Mark?"

"Not at all Chelsea! It just that it was the only thing I could think of… If you don't want to, I'll decline Shea's offer gently and we can figure something else out!"

Chelsea sighed and shook her head.

"No… I don't want to hurt his feelings… He'll pull off that sad expression on his face. He reminds me of a gently puppy… He looks cuter when he smiles."

"C-Cute…?" I repeated, and I was sure my eye twitched.

Chelsea nodded her head. Before I could think of anything to say to that, Shea was back, with two spears. He gave one to Chelsea and motioned her to follow him. I originally intended to leave so that Chelsea could learn in peace… But… I couldn't stand leaving Chelsea alone… Not that I didn't trust Shea, but… I don't know… It's hard to describe what I am feeling… I just knew that I didn't want to leave her alone with him… So, I followed behind Chelsea while she followed Shea.

* * *

**Denny's POV**

I left the diner earlier than usual. Usually I would stay until 9, but, I called it a day around 8:30. So, I was walking on the path and I waved to any people that I passed along the way. Having nothing better to do, I was heading to the beach to go home.

When I did get to the beach, I saw my buddy Vaughn… Well, I wouldn't exactly say buddy, but he didn't exactly hate me either. So, he was at least my friend… He had his back turned to me and he looked distracted about something… I approached him quietly, but he must have heard me, because he turned before I got too close to him. He had the same usual grouchy face.

"Yo Vaughn."

"Hey."

I walked closer and stood next to him, looking out at the sea.

"Ready for a long trip back to the city eh?"

He just simply nodded. I sighed, something I rarely do.

"I don't understand… If you hate the city so much, why go back?" I asked him.

I could feel his gaze on me, but I didn't bother looking at him.

"What's it to you?"

"Well… You are my friend. And what friends usually do is give advice to each other."

"I don't need your stinking advice… Emphasis on stink."

I chuckled lightly. Now I knew that something was bothering him if he was trying to insult me by my fish smell.

"If you say so Vaughn… You really should just stop and smell the flowers once in a while Vaughn… You'll never know when you might like a particular flower… You understand what I'm saying Vaughn?"

I heard Vaughn sigh through his nose, though it was a little hard to hear since he did it kind of quietly.

"There's no point of stopping to smell the flowers when they end up dying anyway. If not dying, they abandon the field to move on to better pasture. Understand what I'm saying Denny?" He countered.

I felt my face grimace from his words. He really was a depressing guy. Makes me wonder how I still have my optimistic type nature…

"Sometimes you have to take chances Vaughn… Not all flowers are the same… Even you would find one that interests you…"

Vaughn didn't reply to my statement. I then turned to him.

"Happy belated birthday by the way." I said.

Vaughn looked at me with an eyebrow raised.

"How do you know what day my birthday is on?"

I laughed, remembering the past memory.

"You really don't remember that summer when I pretty much begged you to tell me your birthday when I told you mine."

Vaughn scowled a little.

"Oh yeah… You were a nuisance then as you are now."

I shrugged my shoulders.

"Guess I can be at times, but it's always worth it in the end."

"…. You are just- strange…"

I laughed again.

"And you're stranger."

Vaughn shrugged his own shoulders in response. I looked towards my shack.

"I'm a wanderer too Vaughn… But, I stopped to smell the flowers… And I'm going to pick a specific flower soon…" I said, with a different sort of happiness.

I decided to leave him at that point. Even I knew when to stop pestering someone. I know Vaughn is sometimes mean, but even I could see that he was just using a fake 'shell' to hide something within himself. What is that something? I don't know… I just hope it's not something that can destroy him, before he gets the chance to tell someone first… Hopefully, he'll tell me, his friend, first- or someone that is special to him.

* * *

**Chelsea's POV**

"Thank you Shea for the lesson! I actually found the experience to be fun!" I said.

Shea looked like he blushed slightly. Mark groaned a little.

"Yeah. The experience was fun for you, but not for me." He said.

During the lessons with Shea, I almost hit Mark in the head with the spear- twice. The first time it missed him completely, but the second time, the spear hit his hat. Luckily he ducked at the same time or I might have killed him by accident… I never got to really see what he looked like without his hat on… Since he pretty much hid behind a tree, as if he felt naked without his hat… Or he could have been hiding to avoid getting hit by any more of my spears…

I handed the spear back to Shea, but he shook his head and smiled.

"Chelsea part of tribe now! Chelsea keep spear!"

I felt my eyes water a little.

"Thank you Shea." I said to him with a wide smile.

I put the spear into my rucksack (and it did fit!). For some odd reason, I looked at Mark from the corner of my eye and he was fidgeting with the fingertips of his gloves. Is there something wrong with him? Maybe the jungle was making him nervous; it was a little dark after all… Shea then got my attention by tugging at the bottom of my jacket.

"Does Chelsea need…"

He then stopped and looked at Mark. Then he looked back at me.

"Need Mark and Shea escort Chelsea home?"

He was obviously asking me if I wanted to be walked home. He is so thoughtful.

"It's okay Shea. Mark and I need to go somewhere else anyway. I don't want to keep you waiting from Wada."

Then he pulled off his sad face expression.

"Oh…"

And of course, I couldn't help saying something that would cheer him up.

"B-but you could do it next time! If you want, you can come by my house anytime! It's right across from Pierre's house." I said in a rush.

That made Shea smile in reply. Though, Mark went rigid for some odd reason… Yeah, he must be afraid of the jungle around him… I wouldn't blame him… The jungle wasn't feeling nice right now…

"Thank you Chelsea!" Shea said with a smile, and then he ran off with the smile still on his face.

I then faced Mark.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Huh?"

"I asked what's wrong. You kind of went stiff there for a second."

"Uh… Well…" He stuttered.

"It's okay, I'm kind of scared of the jungle right now too. So, how about we hurry up and get out of here?"

I saw him sigh in relief and then we both left.

Once we were out of the forest, he turned and asked me.

"What did you mean that we had to go somewhere else? I thought maybe you would want to go home since it is rather late and all…"

I smiled at him, but it looked evil and sly like. He looked at me nervously.

"Oh, you owe me for dragging me to the jungle and almost getting me killed by Shea."

"B-But we're even now! You almost killed me too! Twice!"

"I still want to go…"

"Go where?"

"Go see the Witch Princess again!"

"I don't think it's a good idea to be visiting a Witch Princess at night Chelsea…"

"Well, if you want, you can go home. I'm still going though." I said to him.

I heard Mark sigh, and I already knew that he decided to follow me.

When we reached West Town, we were heading to the bridge that would lead to the forest, but that was when Elliot stuck his head out of the door from his house.

"Mark..!" He whispered a little loud.

Mark and I stopped walking and turned to him. Elliot motioned his hand for Mark to come over. Mark left my side and walked over to Elliot. Elliot whispered something in Mark's ear, and then Mark sighed. He jogged back to me.

"Elliot needs me to- help him with something… Will you be okay by yourself?"

I nodded my head and puffed out my chest a bit.

"I may look weak, but I am a very strong girl! So, I'll be fine."

I saw Mark look behind me and then back at my face, worry clearly on his face.

"I'll be fine Mark. If I don't come to work tomorrow, then you can look for me and scold me. Okay?"

He hesitated, but he finally nodded and reluctantly turned back towards Elliot's house. I stood there and waited for him to enter. Mark looked at me once more, and then he entered the house and the door was closed. I looked at the bridge leading to the forest. It did look kind of scary, and I almost chickened out. But, I took one deep breathe, let it out, and then I headed towards the bridge.

* * *

**Witch Princess's POV**

I opened another book, trying to look for a specific spell that would help me- do a certain project… But before I could even look at the text in the book, there was a knock on my door. I closed the book and frowned slightly.

"Now who would visit me at this time of night?" I said in a low voice.

I walked over to my door and opened it. And there stood that girl I met only yesterday. Cherry was her name? No wait… It was… Chelsea! Right! Anyway, I don't like her. I glared at her slightly.

"What do you want?" I asked, skipping the usual polite introductions.

She simply smiled at me, which I hated, and said, "I just stopped by because I wanted to ask you some questions."

I raised one eyebrow at her. Weird human girl…

"Questions like what?"

"Like, what's it like being a witch? Is it fun because you get to do magic all of the time? Does it get boring? Do you really fly on a broom? And, I would ask a lot of other questions like that."

I looked at her surprised.

"You are actually interested in witches!" I asked. Surprise clear in my voice to her.

She simply nodded her head in response. Maybe I misjudged this human… But then I smiled slightly at her.

"How about I turn you into a frog?"

"That would be awesome! But, I wouldn't like eating the flies though… They don't look good to eat, not to mention probably not healthy…"

I blinked my eyes in disbelief. She was being completely serious! I then laughed, heartily, something I thought only Mark could make me do. I have definitely misjudged this human, Chelsea. She looked at me confused. I stopped laughing, though I chuckled a little before I completely stopped.

"You are the second person to tell me that witches are fun, basically." I explained.

"The second person…? Who's the first?"

"Mark of course… Speaking of him… Can I ask you something?"

"Uh… Sure…?"

I lowered my voice so that my words wouldn't carry on the wind.

"What do see in Mark?"

She looked at me confused, but then she shrugged her shoulders.

"I see him as my boss and a friend."

"That's it?" I asked, making sure.

She nodded her head, without hesitating either.

"Yeah, that's it. Uh, why?"

I clapped my hands together once and laughed a little in relief.

"Oh, nothing! Look, I would like to hang out and- answer any questions you may have for me, but I was in the middle of trying to do a spell! So, maybe you can see me tomorrow in the afternoon? I'm here all day pretty much…"

She nodded her head and she looked excited.

"I can't wait!" She said.

Then she turned away from me and waved. Before she got too far though, I had to ask her one more thing…

"How come you didn't ask me what my name is?"

Chelsea looked at me like I was crazy.

"Well, duh! I wouldn't ask something as personal as that! Even I know why you don't spread your name all over the place!_**(15)**_" She said, as if I was stupid.

I chuckled to myself.

"_She understands a lot more than I thought._"

I saw her walk away, but she waved once more to me before she disappeared on the path. I entered my house again and closed the door. I shook my head in disbelief before I went back to my work.

* * *

**Chelsea's POV**

As I walked down the path and headed towards the path that would lead me out of the forest, I thought I heard the faint sound of footsteps. I looked around, and I thought I saw someone through the dark. But, I wasn't sure.

"Is someone there?"

There was someone there alright. Because whoever it was, stopped walking or pacing or whatever they were doing. The person turned and the first thing I saw was purple eyes, and I knew who it was instantly. I sighed in relief.

"Thank goodness it's only you Vaughn! I thought you were some walking tree or something."

He walked up to me and gave me this weird look.

"A walking tree? Are you delusional or something?"

I put my hands on my hips and puffed out my cheeks.

"Well, you can be mistaken as one with the dark clothes you wear! Besides, you're tall enough, so it can work."

He shook his head at me, and I thought I saw a hint of a smile on his face, but I wasn't sure… It was a little dark…

"What are you doing here anyway? There are enough dangerous animals out here to—cause harm to you…" He said, saying the last part so low that I had to fill in the rest of his sentence in my mind.

"I was visiting the Witch Princess."

He didn't give me a weird look this time; he gave me a look that looked angry.

"What! There is a Witch Princess living there! How could you be…? Oh right… You haven't lived on the island for a whole two years… Have you?"

He looked at me in surprise.

"How would you know that?"

"Well, I assumed that since you are the livestock dealer and Mark only had one animal in the barn and coop, which would mean that he didn't buy any animals before I got here… This gave me reason to believe that you wouldn't be around either…_**(16)**_"

Vaughn nodded his head grimly.

"You're right… Pretty much…" He said.

I then looked slightly down at his waist. Ever since I first saw him, I have been trying to figure out like crazy what 'USI' stood for…

"_Maybe it stands for 'Undercover Secret Investigator'! He could be an investigator for the government! And is doing some strange research! Maybe that's why he always keeps to himself and only talks about work! Because if he got close to anyone, the bad guys would kidnap his girlfriend and threaten him to do their bidding!_" I thought, trying to hold in a laugh.

I then looked back up at his face, and realized that he was staring at me just as I was staring at him- and lost in thought. But, he suddenly turned away from me, his cheeks a little red and went back to his pacing.

"I thought you are only here two days a week… Isn't it time for you to go?" I asked.

I saw him shake his head, though he kept his face hidden from my view.

"The captain said that he wasn't going to leave until a little past 11… He said the boat needed a little tweaking…"

I looked at my watch and it was close to being 10:20. Yeah, he had time… Since I had nothing else to do, I decided to go back to figuring out what 'USI' stood for.

"_Maybe it stands for 'Ultimate Silent Individual'… I mean, he is quiet most of the time… But, that seems so boring…_" I thought.

I tapped my fingers on my chin, deep in thought.

"_Maybe it stands for 'Unacknowledged Sadistic Individual'… But, that seems so- mean and cold… It sounds- sad…_"

I looked at him from my distance, seeing him pacing along the trees, with his eyes hidden under the brim of his hat. And then I realized that I never really _looked_ at him before. Well, not counting the tied up incident from earlier… But still, I never realized how- alone he looked… I haven't known him for long, but, just by looking at him, and remembering him being alone at the diner (away from everyone I might add), he was really alone… I silently vowed to myself to be very friendly to him, to make him at least have one friend… I then went back to figuring out what 'USI' stood for.

"_Maybe it stands for 'United States Immigrate'__**(17)**__. Hmm… Could be it… A person running away from the law! Could be the real reason why he doesn't talk to anybody…!_"

"_Maybe it stands for 'Ultimate Sexy Individual'…_" A tiny voice in the back of my head said.

"_Huh? No! That's wrong! It does not stand for that! I was right the first time! It stands for 'Undercover Secret Investigator'!_"

"_'Ultimate Sexy Individual.'"_ The tiny voice countered.

"_'Undercover Secret Investigator.'_" I thought back.

" _'Ultimate Sexy Individual.'_"

"_'Undercover Secret Investigator.'_"

" _'Ultimate Sexy Individual.'_"

" '_Ultimate Sexy Individual._'"

It took me a moment to realize that the three words were now in my head. The stupid tiny voice won!

"OH NO! I'M A PERV!"

It took me another moment to realize that I said that _out loud_! Which means… I looked where Vaughn was pacing, and he stopped pacing of course and he gave me this weird look. I knew that I was turning red from embarrassment.

"Uh… Bye Vaughn!" I said as I left in a hurry.

I wasn't sure, but I thought I heard a small chuckle come from him- it only made my face redder in embarrassment.

* * *

**Sabrina's POV**

I was in my house, of course… I'm _always_ in my house… Usually I would be trying to draw something and then paint it… But, I didn't have any inspiration in me at the moment… I had artist block… So, to try to come up with some idea, I was looking out of my window. My gaze went up and down the road, but, there was nothing of interest… Well, except for that new reddish looking house… The craftsmanship looked nice from my view, and I could tell there was some sort of designs on it… But, I was too far to see them clearly… And I didn't have a telescope to use… I sighed to myself. The only excitement I had in my life so far was when that new rancher, Chelsea, was introduced to me by Mark yesterday. If I didn't know any better, I would have mistaken them to be twins or brother and sister- they were both so cheerful and full of life. Something that I wished I had…

"_But you don't…_" My conscience said to me in my mind.

I nodded my head, agreeing with it… It was always right… So, I never argued with it or disagreed with it. I was about to turn away from my window and retire to bed, but then I caught something moving outside. I looked again- and there was Chelsea. She looked out of breathe and was trying to regain herself it seemed.

"_I wonder if something frightened her._"

I looked down at her with concern.

"_What would I do if she faints?_"

Luckily for me, she didn't. She walked by my house, at a slow pace. But then, she stopped, and looked up towards my place. I stiffened. I didn't want her to think that I was spying on her or assume that it is my hobby… I waited for her to do something, and she did… She focused her attention on my window, probably saw the light on, and then she waved. At first, I thought maybe she was waving at some other person that I couldn't see, but, nobody appeared in front of her… So, I assumed that she was waving to me! I shyly waved back to her. She smiled in reply and then turned back to head towards- the red house!

"_So… She doesn't live far from me…_"

I smiled at that thought.

"_Maybe I could try to be friends with her…_"

I watched her take something off of the ground near her door, a suitcase it looked like, and enter her house. Once she was out of sight, inspiration filled my mind. I had to draw something! I stood up from my place by the window and ran over to my desk. Taking a pencil in my hand, I began to draw a sketch in my sketchbook, while the image was still fresh in my mind.

* * *

**Vaughn's POV**

I was already on the ship, silently wishing the boat would get to the city faster. I chuckled again at the memory of what that energetic Chelsea yelled. I don't know what was going through her mind, but I almost laughed at her face because of the clear embarrassment that was labeled on her face. I shook my head.

"Stupid woman." I muttered under my breathe.

I briefly wondered what caused her to make her mind drift to 'perverted' thoughts. I mean, by her statement alone, it was pretty clear to me that her mind was thinking about something. I frowned slightly.

"_Was it me?_"

My mind marveled with the idea, but I discarded the thoughts in the end.

"_She doesn't seem like that type of person though… No… She must have been thinking about that stupid rancher of hers._"

And for some reason unknown to me, that thought pissed me off. For the rest of the trip, I was in a foul mood.

When the boat finally reached the city, I walked down the plank without even waiting for it to settle. I started to head home, deciding to walk then to waste my money on a cab. I passed by corner stores, small grocery stores, electronic stores and other small business buildings. If it wasn't for these small businesses, I would be delusional enough to think I was in a small town, not the city. But, as I walked farther away from the docks, skyscrapers and other tall buildings started to appear. I'm very glad that my building was only a few more minutes away.

Once I reached the apartment building, I entered and found my apartment, #22_**(18)**_. I was a little relieved that my apartment wasn't up the stairs… I opened it with my keys and entered. I didn't bother turning on the lights. I already knew where everything was, since my 'home' is small and pretty much only one big room. I took off my boots first, and the rest of my clothes followed. As for my hat, I hung it up on the hook behind the door. The only thing I had on was my black boxers. I dragged my feet over to the fridge to see if there was something to eat. Lucky for me (odd, I'm never really lucky), I had my leftover Chinese food. And, to my further surprise, there were no roaches in it.

"_I hate roaches…_"

I have been trying for a while to get rid of the damn roaches, but nothing worked! They're stubborn, ugly, and disgusting parasitic bugs! I, of course, complained to the owner of the building and threaten to stop paying rent if the problem wasn't fixed. Because the roaches weren't here before I got here, and they better hell not be here while I am living here. The damn owner tried to say I caused it. Hmph! I'll admit to being an ass sometimes, but I won't admit to being gross or disgusting! I work with animals all day! If that was the case, I would be sick all of the time!

"_Hmm… Maybe the bug killer came by while I was gone…_"

I ate my leftovers cold. I didn't feel like getting up and warming it up with the stove. Once I was done, I threw away the empty little box and then I decided to take a nice, but quick, hot shower.

When I got out, I put on some other black boxers I had (clean) and walked over to the couch. I pulled at the bottom of it and it turned into a bed. I immediately lay down on my back and closed my eyes. I slowly dozed off to dream land. Before I could enter dreamland (if I had any dreams), Chelsea's face appeared in my mind. I didn't bother pushing the image away from my mind, I was just too tired… For some odd reason, something Denny said came into my mind.

"_I'm a wanderer too Vaughn… But, I stopped to smell the flowers… And I'm going to pick a specific flower soon…_"

Maybe that fisherman had a point… I then went off to dreamland. But all I dreamed about- was darkness…

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_

* * *

**AUTHOR'S COMMENTS/NOTES**

**

* * *

(1)** _… where I left my boots and rucksack_: The white gloves that she had in the previous chapter, I decided to let her put it in her rucksack. This will probably be the last time hearing about them- because they'll be in her closet now, never to be used! Anyway, I made a mistake about the white gloves last chapter. I already corrected it (but I'm not going to take the gloves out of the story- the damage has been done already).

**(2)** _… about the wonderfuls_: Those who play the game would know what this is and how they are used. I'm not going to explain it in detail, but they are basically jewels that upgrade the tool. In my story, I'm going to say that they are small, about the size of the tip of your pinky (my pinky is pretty small). Big enough to see, but small enough to fit on the item itself. That was how Chelsea got 10 gallons of milk from one cow- and the gold too, due to the wonderfuls…

**(3)** _Your payment for today should be in your mailbox by tomorrow morning_: In the game, as soon as it turns 5PM, you get your gold for everything that you shipped on that day. But, obviously, that doesn't make much sense in the story. So, I let them get their gold the next day in their mailbox. Since there is no way for them to turn in their checks to turn it into gold- I'll make it gold right away. In other words, they'll find gold in their mailbox, not a paper check.

**(4)** _… old guy wanted his 'share'_: There is no such thing as a free island, in my opinion. Even if the island has been abandoned for a thousand years, someone owns it most likely. Especially if the island is flourishing again- bringing in money and other things. And even if the owner of the island did nothing with the island, they'll demand payment. Or, even if the island wasn't owned at the moment by anyone- someone will buy it (or find evidence that someone owns it already). Yeah, I don't believe in a free island nor free rent either. Well, there are exceptions to free rent...

**(5)** _… large red cabinet next to it, a large red refrigerator next to that, a calendar on his back wall next to a window with a clock above it_: For those that don't know, I never really saw a clock in the house anywhere… So, I put it above the calendar… I mean, how do they know what time it is? And, another side note, in the game, if the furniture (etc.) is red, it means that anything in it can't spoil. For example, a gallon of milk in the fridge will lose freshness in a certain amount of days (depending on the material it is made from) and therefore the rank will lower. But, if it is made from mythic stones (makes it red), then the items will never lose any freshness etc. However, if it is gold like Chelsea's fridge, it will spoil a little every 11 days (rank lowers).

**(6)** _… plenty of every type of vegetable and fruit that I could imagine- including some condiments like ketchup_: We know that in the game, there are slots and slots to put food in the fridge. Imagine Mark having every fruit and vegetable that he grew in the fridge, and then condiments/main ingredients like flour, rice and other things in the fridge- like in the game. The same applies here. As for how the stuff stays fresh- that is explained above- (5).

**(7)** _… lithographs_: In the game, they don't do anything except give you points for your farm degree. But, such a thing is useless here. So, I'm making them as some ancient writing from the past or something… Will be explained in the future- I think…

**(8)** _Carter_: Remember him? He is the character that always works in the excavation site in Forget-Me-Not Valley. Since he seems interested in things from the past- then I am going to call him an archeologist unless I am told otherwise and see that he is called something else… I'm not sure if I should call him Dr. Carter or not- since I'm not sure what his exact level of degree is... So, I'll just call him 'Carter' or even "Professor Carter' if I'm daring or something… More on this in the future…

**(9)** _… information about Wada's tribe_: Since I want the lithographs to be used for something- I decided to let them say something about information concerning Wada's tribe… It is all that I can think of! It makes sense to me…

**(10)** _… had THAT much gold in there_: Again, in the game, the gold is being held- I have no idea where the main character is putting all of that gold… I just know it is in the drop menu in the game… But, of course, in a story, there is no drop menu… So, I decided to let them put their gold in the cabinet in bags- it's big enough to hold a lot of things anyway. Besides, what else can go in there besides the stuff from mining and animal food! Not much else… So, might as well use it to store gold- and to store clothes in Mark's case…

**(11)** _… probably for all of the residents on the island…_: Think of it this way… If Mark did spend all of that gold to build a bigger house for him or something- what would people think? People would think that he is 'rich'. And when a person is deemed as 'rich'- things are a lot more expensive. Since he is the government (sort of) on the island, if he looks 'rich'- then this could mean the other residents are 'rich' or could make just as much money. Even if they don't make the same amount of money, I'm sure Mark wouldn't mind paying for their rent- right? Eh, I'm too tired to explain it thoroughly, so, this explanation will have to do.

**(12)** _… my blue wristwatch_: Yeah, I'm giving him a wristwatch too. I mean, how does he know what time it is when he's not in his house?

**(13)** _… like new sneakers had when you went into a shoe store_: Wait… Why did I put a number next to this? Oh yeah… Just to say that I like the smell of new shoes in a shoe store… Yeah, this is completely useless…

**(14)** _… she wore her green headband with one pink bow on each side_: Lanna's dress made me mad… Her dress is kind of hard to describe. I did my best but, of course, you can use the internet to find a picture of her in her dress. Sometimes visuals are better than words. Kind of why I didn't describe the clothes too much on the other villagers- because they are all wearing their usual attire… Like in the game…

**(15)** _… spread your name all over the place!_: For some reason, some people don't seem to understand why the Witch Princess has no name. Weird that hardly anybody mentions the Harvest Goddess not having a name either… Anyway, in many of the fiction books that I have read, the reason some witches don't give out their name is because it means everything to them. In other words, if a witches name is found out, their enemies could use spells on them- no matter how far they are from them or where they are at. In one book that I read, called, "The Key to Rondo" by Emily Rodda. The evil witch in the book was able to control a dog actions because she knew its name… If she had known one of the main characters real name- she would have seduced the character with things that they wished for- like fame, riches etc (and control them as well).

Another example is in the book series 'The Bartimaeus Trilogy' by Jonathan Stroud. The character, Bartimaeus, is basically a- demon (I'll use this word for now) that can be summoned and will be forced to do the callers ('master') bidding. However, if he knew his 'master' TRUE name (real- not fake name)- he would be able to NOT follow any orders his 'master' gave him and can easily backfire any punishment (spells) his 'master' would give him…

If that was hard to understand, try this… Imagine your internet username being your fake name (technically is)- meaning you can be anonymous (somewhat) on the internet and do and say what you want without punishment (most of the time). Now, imagine someone that you hate found out your username and knew about ALL of the things you have done on the internet and threaten to- do something with that information (blackmail). You would most likely do what they want; unless of course, you don't care or something… Or, even simpler, imagine putting your full real name on a site where some serial killers hang out at. How easy would it be for them to find you and cause harm? Pretty easy (well, a little easy)… So, since the Witch Princess is a witch- then of course it is common sense that she would have enemies somewhere around the world- even if we don't know them in the game. As for the Harvest Goddess- I'm sure she has some other witches that DO want to cause harm to her.

It has come to my attention that in the game Animal Parade, if one marries the Wizard, Witch, Harvest God or Harvest Goddess, they will reveal their real names to you. Which, I think makes sense, this means that they trust you enough to tell you their name… How sweet!

**(16)** _… This gave me reason to believe that you wouldn't be around either_: I didn't get to explain the little hate that is going on between Vaughn and Mark in the story. So, I'll make this short… Basically, Mark isn't good with animals, he decides to only buy 1 cow and 1 chicken and that's it. Since that is all that he is buying, there is no need for Vaughn to be on the island. I mean, what's the point of him transporting animals to the island if nobody is going to buy them? Vaughn would obviously make even less money due to Mark's actions… And that is what Mark meant about doing business with Mirabelle again in the first chapter. Since he is getting more animals now, then Mirabelle would need animals- and Vaughn comes into the picture. Even if the ranch's coop and barn are filled up, Vaughn might still be needed to help with the animals- especially if they get sick or something… I seriously think Vaughn is a vet or something… Maybe he had prior doctor training…

**(17)** _Maybe it stands for 'United States Immigrate'_: My younger brother came up with this meaning for USI… I was talking about what USI could mean, and he said this… It made me laugh, so I added it… And, the other terms I came up with myself- even Ultimate Sexy Individual (which is true in his case)!

**(18)** _… #22_: His apartment number is based on the day he arrives on the island in Spring. Well, at least in my game he arrives in Spring on the 22nd… For some odd reason, I thought he would arrive on the 12th instead… Weird…

* * *

I claim the term USI- standing for 'Ultimate Sexy Individual'© (Laughs). Hmmm… I'm kind of speechless a bit because there is so much I want to mention… Let's see… Well, I tried to let Chelsea meet 'all' of the villagers- at least the bachelors and bachelorettes. But, she only met 9/11, which isn't bad… Weird… That is the same day I released the story- September 11th… Which, here is where it gets weirder, is the day that the twin towers in New York City (United States) were destroyed (bad event)… And this story is supposed to be depressing at some point… I didn't notice that I uploaded the story on that day either- until it was too late… Coincidence?

Oh yeah, for those of you kind of confused about Denny's and Vaughn's conversation… At first, Denny was talking about Vaughn relaxing and taking a break (NOT screwing around!). Then during the conversation, he shifted to talking about woman/girls. I don't think Vaughn is the type of person that would talk about girls- much (or very little). And if a conversation is heading in that direction, metaphors or something would have to be used for him to not feel awkward or embarrassed… I don't know, it's hard to explain it… Anyway, that is what that meant… I would also like to mention that in the next chapter, I'm skipping time and I'm going straight to the Goddess Festival- where the 'bad' stuff starts to happen or the bad omen start I should say… I think I did everything I needed to do before that point- hopefully… ALSO, I _wanted_ to add a BONUS at the end, but, I wasn't sure yet… So, I might add one to the next chapter instead.

_**THANK YOU ALL FOR REVIEWING!**_

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**ORIGINAL UPLOAD DATE:** September 15, 2009 (9/15/09)

**RE-UPLOADED:** January 8, 2011 (1/8/11 – 3rd time)

**BETA READ BY: **WolfCrystal, 2011


	4. Chapter 3, The Omen

**Chapter 3, The ****Omen**

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**SPRING 8****TH – SUNDAY**

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**Mark's POV**

I felt more cheerful than usual, and there was a bit more to my skip today. I already knew why I felt so happy!

Yesterday, I finally had the courage to ask Chelsea if she wanted to come to the Goddess Festival with me, which is today! But, to go with me as friends of course. I couldn't ask her to come with me as anything more. It's already awkward that I am technically her boss and she is my partner. I mean, who would want to go anywhere with their boss? Especially to some festival?

Well, at least that's what I think might be going through her mind…. None the less, she agreed to come with me! So, I'm not complaining! She and I agreed that we would go straight to the meadow together after our farm work was done. Since she would always finish her work before me, I gave her permission to stay inside of my house to wait for me and to make herself comfortable… unless she didn't want too. Then again, her being the thoughtful person that she is, decided to wait for me inside of my house.

She was already inside of my home, waiting for me to finish my farm work. Like last time, I had many turnips to pull up, along with potatoes this time around. The turnips do grow fast, every four days if the weather is good.

I pulled up another turnip, happily grinning to myself… and I just can't stop smiling! I have to admit, that if it wasn't for that letter, although depressing, I wouldn't have met Chelsea. In my own mind, it was fate that brought us together.

* * *

**Chelsea's POV**

When Mark asked me yesterday if I wanted to go to the Goddess Festival, I wanted to refuse his offer, because he is my boss and it just felt- weird... However, I must have shown my feelings on my face, because he quickly added 'as friends'. So, I agreed to go with him. After I agreed, he smiled, and it looked happier than his usual smiles. When I arrived on the ranch this morning, he said his usual greeting, but in a sing song like voice. And, I could have sworn I saw him skipping to his field with a happy like grin upon his face.

What's wrong with him? I understand that he is pretty much always cheerful, but it was ridiculous! Well, I guess I always look cheerful too, so I can't really judge him on that….

I was sitting on a chair at the table, just waiting for him to return. He told me to make myself at home. So, I went through his fridge, ate something, and then I sat down again.

"_This festival must be really special… because Lanna had to teach me the dancing steps yesterday. In addition, when I told her that I agreed to go with Mark to the festival, she had this smile on her face and she giggled to herself. Am I missing something here? Because obviously I am. It seems that every time I mention something that has to do with Mark, she smiles and then giggles…. I wonder why?_" I thought.

I took my rucksack off of my back.

"_Lanna also told me that I should wear something more appropriate to the festival._"

I opened my rucksack and inside was a dress. It was just a sleeveless, light yellow sundress with some floral designs at the bottom, nothing special. I, also, had yellow sandals to match. I then looked at myself and took a wiff of my arm.

"I smell like sweat and grime," I muttered under my breath.

I looked towards Mark bathroom, and then I shrugged my shoulders.

"I'm sure he wouldn't mind me using his shower…."

I then headed to the doors, opened them, and stepped in to take my shower.

* * *

**Vaughn's POV**

"_Why me!_"

I was on the boat, heading for 'Sunny Island' again. And the reason why was because I forgot my toolbox… or lost it.

I remember having it with me when I left my aunt's shop before I went to the beach, but I must have dropped it along the way. Since I forgot my toolbox on the island, I could only do a half-ass job on my work. I couldn't take care of the animals much since my brushes and everything else was in that toolbox… not only that, I was arriving on the day of a festival.

"Damn my luck!" I muttered under my breath.

I looked over the rail, and I could see the island in the distance. Since I was coming on the island later than usual, I would be there around 12 o'clock.

"_I hope nobody is on the beach to bug me to go to the festival._"

I didn't call my aunt to let her know that I was coming. I wanted to be there without anyone knowing, friend or otherwise.

"Hopefully Denny isn't on the beach…."

I turned away from the island and leaned again the rail with my arms crossed over my chest.

"_Somehow, I have a feeling he would be there._"

I just wasn't feeling lucky today.

* * *

**Mark's POV**

"I'm finished!" I yelled happily.

I looked at my wristwatch and realized that it just turned 12 o'clock. I thought I might finish at around two since I had so many to harvest… but maybe I finished earlier because of the mood I am in? I nodded to myself. Yeah, that had to be it!

I decided to stop wasting time and hurried up to get Chelsea from my home. I skipped to my front door and opened it, expecting Chelsea to be sitting somewhere, bored out of her mind. However, when I walked into my house, she wasn't there. At first, I thought maybe she did leave without me, but then I saw her rucksack on the table, making me dispose that idea. In turn, it made me look around, confused. Then I realized that she was in the bathroom, hearing the water run.

"_Oh… she's probably taking a shower._"

At that thought alone, my face turned red, making me glad that she wasn't there to see it. So, I decided to do what was best— wait.

I walked over to my fridge, took a snack out, and sat on my bed while munching on my snack.

* * *

**Chelsea's POV**

I got out of the shower and wrapped myself with a clean extra blue towel that happened to be in Mark's bathroom already. I then looked at myself in the mirror, not looking any different excluding the damp hair. With a blow-dryer that I found, I dried it.

"_Why does he have a blow-dryer?_"

It only took me a second to remember that Mark probably had a lot of hair under that baseball cap that he is always wearing. Come to think of it, I've never seen him with his hat off before….

I shrugged my shoulders, maybe he was balding at an early age (25, he told me himself) and didn't want people to see it. I looked around the bathroom, trying to find my rucksack. It took me a moment to realize that I left my rucksack on the table. I shrugged my shoulders again.

"_Guess I have to go out there and get it._"

I tightened the towel around me and walked out of the bathroom. I took one step out, and started to approach the table. But before I could reach the table, I heard Mark's voice.

"Hey Chelsea! You ready to—"

I turned to look at him; he must have been sitting on his bed because he was standing in front of it. It took me a moment to realize that he was staring at me— emphasis on staring. At first, his eyes were normal, but then they widened to the fullest. And then, a small shot of red blood came out of his nose before he fainted, luckily on his bed.

I looked at his unconscious form for a moment, confused. Then I realized that I wasn't really decent. My face turned red, making me quickly grab my rucksack to retreat to the bathroom to get dressed.

* * *

**Vaughn's POV**

Of course Denny was on the beach when I got off the boat. And he wasn't alone either, that pop-star was with him. And, as I expected, they dragged me to the festival with them.

Once we reached the meadow, well, I had to admit that the decorations weren't bad… neither was the buffet table. I decided to go to the buffet table and help myself. If I was going to be stuck at a festival anyway, might as well eat the free food there. Most of the stuff to eat was vegetables or dishes with vegetables in them, and I hate vegetables_**(1)**_. So, I went to the dessert aisle and grabbed me a small plate of cheesecake. While I was eating the cheesecake, I looked around, seeing if that cheery rancher was anywhere. To my slight surprise (and disappointment?) she wasn't around.

"_Yet, but you'll see her soon enough,_" my conscience whispered to me.

I ignored what it was trying to imply. I didn't exactly hate the rancher, but I didn't really like her either. I still found her annoying and too cheerful— no different than the other damn rancher.

I looked around again. "_That's odd… that rancher isn't here either…._" I thought to myself.

I found it odd that _both_ of them weren't here.

I was about to approach Denny and ask him, as vaguely as possible, why neither was here. But then I had an odd feeling that someone was staring at me. I looked around and found who the culprit was. It was that weird looking book-worm person named uh… Sabrina…. Right, I remember meeting her only once or twice during my trips here on the island, before I was basically sent away due to Mark.

She was odd then and still is. I remember when I would go to the beach to relax, she would be there too. And, although she tried her best to hide it, she would stare at me. And every time I turned to look directly at her, she would pretend to be looking elsewhere. During those times, I would ignore her, and I probably would have ignored her now. However, I _really_ wasn't in the mood for this right now. So I confronted her by snapping at her.

"What the hell are you looking at!"

She immediately turned away and walked off, her face red from embarrassment.

"Damn weird girl," I muttered as I approached Denny, without interruptions this time.

* * *

**Sabrina****'s POV**

I shouldn't have stared at Vaughn like that… but I couldn't help it! I was surprised that he was here on the island! I didn't know that he came back. He must have come back recently… was it because of Chelsea?

I answered my own question, "_Yeah, she had to be the reason. Now that there is an animal caretaker, then an animal dealer would be needed as well to transport the animals and all…_."

I then smiled as another thought came to me, "_Maybe this is fate telling me that I have a second chance to try to get with him. I mean, he is even here at the festival_—_ on a Sunday! This has to be a pray of some sort!_"

"_That will not happen because he probably thinks you're a stalker,_" my conscience responded.

I sighed to myself. Again, it was right….

I'm going to have to apologize to him for that and for all of those other times in the past.

In the end, I decided to push the problem away, for now.

* * *

**Mark's POV**

I groaned a little, reacting to the brief pain I felt behind my head. My eyes were closed and I was confused about— everything.

"_Where am I? What happened? And, what is this soft thing I feel under my head?_"

I opened my eyes a little and I was looking up at Chelsea's face. My face instantly turned red as everything that happened came rushing back to me, like a giant wave.

"Ch-Chelsea! I'm so sorry for—"

She cut me off by shaking her head and laughing. "It's not really your fault. I was the one using your shower and I shouldn't have forgotten my rucksack on the table."

I nodded my head, but my face was still red. She then patted a tissue on my nose.

"I need you to hold still because your nose is still running a little blood. If you could hold your head back a bit, it should stop flowing faster."

I did as she asked, and then I realized that my head was on her lap… and then it took me another moment to realize that she wasn't wearing her work clothes. She was wearing something yellow…. I couldn't see the rest of it, since I could only see the top half of her.

"_She most likely looks beautiful in whatever she is wearing… she always does…_"

After a few minutes went by, Chelsea told me that I should be okay now. I lifted my head off of her lap and stood up from the bed. Then I turned to look at her, and I was right.

She wore a light yellow sundress with different flora designs at the bottom of it, and the dress was sleeveless, exposing most of her silky looking skin on her arms. On her feet, she wore yellow sandals, showing her pretty toes. I then looked at her face, and realized that some of her hair wasn't hidden underneath her red bandana; it was out and neatly down, just reaching her shoulders. My face turned redder than it already was.

"Yo-You look very pretty Chelsea," I stuttered a little.

She stood up from the bed and looked at me in surprise, and then she smiled.

"Thank you, Mark. Now, let's head to the meadow for the festival."

"Shouldn't I clean up too? I mean…." I let the sentence drift off.

I would look very repulsive next her. I mean, she looks beautiful and all, while I look like a mess.

She shook her head, "I don't think there really is no need to. Only the girls will be dancing and the guys will just watch. So, don't worry about it. Now, let's hurry! It's already getting close to 1 o' clock."

She took my hand (which felt very soft) and dragged me out of the house. I smiled to myself.

"_She really is the best…_"

"_And now you're labeled as a pervert for life,_" my conscience said.

My mind instantly thought about when Chelsea got out of the shower, wrapped around in a towel. My face turned took on the reddish color again, and I had a feeling it would stay that way for a while.

* * *

**Vaughn's POV**

When I asked Denny, indirectly, where the ranchers were, he just shrugged his shoulders and told me he didn't know either.

"_Something's not right… even if Mark doesn't show up, Chelsea should have.… Her job is easier and takes less time… unless, she is with the rancher… waiting for him…_"

I was slightly confused. Why would she wait for him? But, it didn't take my mind long to come up with an answer.

"_Because she is going with him to the festival… they are going together._"

I growled at the thought. I must have growled a little loud, because Denny looked at me.

"Are you okay man? You look more pissed off than usual…."

I just glared at him, making him put up his hands in front of him defensively.

"Just asking, no need to get mad at me," he said.

I looked away from him and looked towards the bridge. Just as I was beginning to wonder what took them so long, I saw two figures appear on the bridge. I recognized the damn blond rancher instantly, but, the person next to him, I didn't recognize her.

After remembering that Chelsea would be with Mark, I realized it was Chelsea that was next to him.

"_But… she looks…_"

I didn't get to finish the sentence. I was in a sort of small trance at the sight of her looking different. I was use to her being in her work clothes… but in a dress? I wasn't use to the sight.

I pulled down the brim of my hat to hide the different shade that I knew was forming on my face. From under my hat I looked at her again, but I quickly looked away and brought my attention to Mark instead.

"_The damn idiot. He's still wearing his work clothes._"

And then, that is when I noticed that his face was red.

"Why the hell is his face red?"

It took me a moment to realize that I said that statement out loud. As I should have expected, Denny heard me. Damn my luck!

"Hmm, I don't know…. Maybe he's sick? Could be the reason why they are a little late…. I'll go ask him," Denny offered as he approached Mark.

I sighed to myself in relief. Denny didn't think that maybe Mark's face was red because of what Chelsea was wearing, and Denny didn't seem to notice that Chelsea was in a dress… or comment how she looked in it either.

"_Good… I don't need any more competition…_"

Wait… what? I made a mental note to myself to take a vacation in the mere future— and not on '_Sunny Island_' either.

* * *

**Denny's POV**

When I approached Mark, that is when I noticed Chelsea next to him— and in a dress. I shrugged to myself mentally. She looked okay in it, but not pretty enough to gain my attention.

Before I could say hello to her first, she was dragged away by an angry Julia. Julia was probably getting on her for being late, leaving me with Mark.

When I turned to face him, I saw that his eyes were focused on something… no, more like _someone_. I looked in the same direction he was looking, and I wasn't surprised that he was staring where Chelsea was being dragged to. I smiled to myself.

"So, what took you guys so long?" I asked, waking him up from his thoughts.

Mark looked at me and then he blinked his eyes, as if he was confused of his whereabouts. But then he regained his normal posture.

"Well… we uh… We finished the farm work and Chelsea was inside waiting for me in my house… and uh…"

I could see that he was hesitating to continue his story. But, I wasn't going to let him keep any secrets from me. So, I urged him to continue his story.

"And I uh…. She was taking a shower and she forgot her rucksack on my table. So, when she came out of the shower—and I saw her," he finished, his face turning redder than it already was.

I looked at him in surprise.

"You mean she came out of the shower naked!" I asked, shocked.

I didn't realize that I said it a little loud, but luckily there was enough noise in the background to drown out what I said. Mark looked at me, shaking his head quicking.

"N-No! I-I didn't mean it that way! I mean, she was wrapped in a towel and everything! B-But still…"

I laughed a little, understanding what he was trying to say. If he had told me that he got a little sick while doing work, it would have explained his red face as well. But, after what he told me, I can see that the redness was a blush, not from exhaustion. He must still be thinking about the incident.

"_Best to leave him alone, I don't want to further embarrass him._"

I walked away from him to walk back to where Vaughn stood. It looked like he was waiting for me to return back to him, too.

"What did the stupid guy say?" he asked me.

I raised an eyebrow at him.

"_Why would he care? Seriously…._"

"No big deal. Mark accidently saw Chelsea come out of the shower," I said as I shrugged my shoulders as well.

I looked at Vaughn's face, and he looked shocked at first. But, it quickly turned into anger.

"I'll kick the pervert's ass!" he yelled, loud enough for only me to hear luckily.

I quickly put my hands in his way.

"Whoa! Hold on Vaughn! You misunderstood what I said."

"I understood you perfectly well! He saw her— naked! And he has the gut to show his face here after that! I'll make something else red appear on his face!"

"Wait, Vaughn! What I _meant_ to say was that Mark saw her come out of the shower _with a towel_ around her. And he was embarrassed to see her like that is all!" I quickly explained before he caused a scene.

It took him a moment for him to settle down. He wasn't going to hit Mark, but he still looked angry.

"Hmph! He's still a pervert…. What was he doing at her house anyway?"

"_Her house? Oh, I didn't tell him it was at Mark's house the incident occurred… Wait… Why does he care whose house it took place at?_"

I couldn't help but grin, because it was clear to me that Vaughn didn't just hate Mark. It seemed to me that he was jealous of the possibility that Chelsea invited Mark to her house as well.

* * *

**Vaughn's POV**

When I asked that question, that is when I saw Denny grin at me.

"What are you grinning about!" I demanded.

"Well… I just find it odd that you would care so much about Chelsea, that Mark possibly saw her in the nude. And, also asking why Mark is at Chelsea's house. Seems to me that you don't like Chelsea hanging around with Mark so much to me._**(2)**_"

"I don't care about that! I just find it stupid of her to invite him into her house when she knew that she was going to take a shower! For all I know, he could have planned the whole thing out… the damn pervert…"

"Oh? So, you don't mind me telling you that he's going over to her house tonight? That's what he told me. He told me that Chelsea invited him over tonight for unknown reasons to him…." Denny said.

"Hmph! No, I don't care."

Denny shrugged his shoulders.

"If you say so.… Though, I do wonder why she would invite him over to her house tonight. Maybe… nah, that can't be it," he said, though he said the last part a little lower.

The bastard! He's just trying to piss me off, isn't he! If I didn't consider him as a friend… wait, when did I consider Denny as my friend? Whatever.

Though, I will admit, that I did wonder why Chelsea would invite that stupid rancher to her house tonight or on any day for that matter… maybe… she really does—like that rancher….

And for some reason, that idea made my heart feel heavy and my mouth dry.

* * *

**Chelsea's POV**

The rest of the girls and I were ready to start the festival, or our dance to be more specific.

I saw Nathan get everyone's attention to be quiet. The people quieted down while we all got into position. The music started in the background, and then we started our dance routine_**(3)**_.

I let my legs take control, but my mind wandered.

I looked closely at the crowd, seeing familiar faces. The first person I saw was Mark. His face was no longer red (thank goodness) and he was just smiling at me. I saw him wave, just a little, at me. I felt like rolling my eyes, but I smiled at him anyway. My eyes continued to scan the crowd, and then I noticed a black cowboy hat.

"_No way…._"

Not to my surprise, the one wearing the cowboy hat was Vaughn. What was he doing on the island on a Sunday and at the festival? I had no idea.

I looked at his face closely, and he looked— sad? His usual frown was absent on his face, but his eyebrows were arched in such a way that it made me think that he could either be sad or worried about something. I picked the latter.

I smiled at him lightly. Instead of the expected reaction of him possibly smiling back, his eyes widened in horror. I saw him start to open his mouth, as if to shout something. At the same time, something told me to look behind me… I did… and the Goddess statue was falling— towards me.

* * *

**Natalie's POV**

Something urged me to look to my left, and just as Chelsea was turning around, I saw the Goddess statue falling towards her.

That's when everything slowed down.

I was screaming in my head, 'MOVE STUPID CHELSEA! MOVE!', or maybe I yelled it out loud, I don't know. I just knew that she wasn't going to move…. She was scared stiff, frozen to the spot.

Without even thinking about it, my legs moved towards her. I can still see the statue falling, and I had a feeling that I wasn't going to be able to do anything in time. So, I did what some baseball players do— I jumped forward with my arms outstretched in front of me.

I managed to push her out of the way, but I didn't have enough time to get out of the way myself….

As soon as she was pushed out of the way, I felt something hit my back— hard… and I screamed in pain, so loud that it was hurting my own ears. All that my mind could think about was the constant agonizing pain my back was feeling.

* * *

**Pierre's POV**

I saw the whole thing… but, I was too slow to do anything.

I didn't notice the statue falling; all I noticed was Natalie dancing with one of her once-in-a-lifetime-smiles on her face, having a good time. First she was dancing, and then the next thing I knew, she was running. I was confused about the change of the routine, but then I noticed her face expression. An expression she only makes when she is about to do something rash. It took me a moment to realize that she was trying to push Chelsea out of the way, to prevent her from getting hit by the falling statue.

I moved towards Natalie, praying to myself that she wasn't going to do what I thought she would do… but, she did.

I just kept running towards her, before I heard her terrible screams of pain.

* * *

**Chelsea's POV**

I didn't know what happened, until I heard screaming….

I forced myself to come out of my own fear and looked around frantically. I was on the ground, but I quickly stood up and ran towards the sound of the screaming… and I saw Natalie, screaming.

There were tears coming out of her eyes, nonstop, and her eyes were open wide. Pierre was on his knees, trying to calm her down. I got closer to the statue that was on her back and I bent my knees to try to pull it up. Not too long after, others joined in to try to move the heavy thing.

We were able to get it off of her back, but she continued to scream in pain, though it sounded lower than before. And that is when Vaughn took control of the situation.

He pointed to Denny, "You! Go to the Café and call that doctor in Mineral Town!_**(4)**_"

Denny was off in a flash. He then pointed to Mark and Elliot.

"You two! Help me carry her to the hotel!"

"But that's too far! We need somewhere closer!" Elliot exclaimed.

"Then bring her to my house since it is closer," I suggested.

The three guys nodded their heads in unison. They bent down and each took one area of her body to lift her up. Elliot was helping with her upper section, Mark took the middle, and Vaughn held her feet. Natalie wasn't screaming anymore, but she was still whimpering and crying in pain. I could tell that they were trying to lessen her pain by moving slowly. Pierre and I followed, and so did the rest of the crowd apparently.

Once we reached my house, I opened my door and held it open for them to enter. They took Natalie to my double-sized bed and laid her down, with her on her belly. It didn't seem like a good idea to make her lay on her back.

Natalie was still crying and muttering nonsense under her breath. And that is when Denny entered.

"Dr. Trent said that he would be here as soon as he can. But it'll take him around 4 hours to get here. He just asked us to get her on a bed, make sure that she is on her belly, and try to calm her down."

Pierre sighed as he held on to Natalie's hand— even though she was practically crushing his hand, he still held on. I ran to my kitchen, found a cup, and put some water in it. I then walked to the side of the bed and stood there, just waiting for her to ask for the water.

"I'll go get a towel," Mark said.

I heard his footsteps and the door open to my bathroom. He came back with a cool moist towel and stood next to me, not sure what to do with it.

"Natalie, do you want some water?" Pierre asked her in a gentle voice, despite the pain in his hand.

Natalie just nodded her head. Pierre lifted her head gently and laid it on his lap, making her head be high enough for her to swallow her water. I handed the cup to him and he brought the cup to her lips, doing it so delicately as if she were glass. He poured it into her mouth at a slow pace so that she won't choke on the water. She looked like she was in an awkward position, since she was trying to drink the water while still on her belly.

"I'll take the towel Mark," Elliot said to him.

Mark handed the towel to him. I sighed to myself.

"_How could this happen_—_ and on the Goddess birthday!_" I thought.

It made no sense. I didn't understand how something bad could happen on the birthday of a supernatural being who is supposed to bring happiness.

Before I could ponder this, someone put a hand on my shoulder. I turned to look at the person's face, Nathan. And he looked distressed about something.

"Can you please come outside? I need to talk to you for a moment."

I nodded my head and followed him out of the house, and I saw Mark following from the corner of my eye. Once we were outside, almost every person had left, except for the few; Denny, Vaughn, Mirabelle, Alisa, Sabrina, and Lanna. Others were inside of my house, Natalie (of course), Pierre, Elliot, Julia, Felicia, and Taro. Regis must have left earlier.

We stopped in front of the small group and Nathan turned to face me.

"The Goddess statue falling… it's not a good sign…"

"What do you mean 'it's not a good sign'?" I asked, not liking where the conversation might be going.

"The Goddess statue standing upright means good deeds will come and that life will be prosperous… but, by the Goddess statue falling, and on her birthday, means the exact opposite…. It means that there will be trouble in the future," Nathan explained.

"In other words, this is an omen," Alisa said.

Nathan nodded his head in agreement.

"I understand the meaning about the statue… but, what does this have to do with me?"

I could see that he started to sweat. Alisa decided to take it from there.

"This has never happened before... before you came to the island Chelsea. By the Goddess statue falling when you are here, and towards you… it probably means that bad things will happen to you. If not only you, anybody who hangs with you could have bad things happen to them too. I think it would be best if you leave the island…."

"What!" I exclaimed, in utter disbelief.

"Now, hold on here! Chelsea practically just got here! If she leaves, then—" Mark stopped and seemed hesitant to continue.

I was going to ask Mark what was he hiding, but Denny decided to state his opinion.

"Come on guys, this sounds like some sort of curse you would read in fictional books. I mean, have we all forgotten what this island is called? It's called '_Sunny Island_' last I checked. And the reason this island has been named that is because of all of the good things that has happened and will continue to happen in the future, I'm sure. Maybe the statue fell because it wasn't balanced right or the wind knocked it down… the wind was blowing kind of hard earlier…"

I nodded my head in agreement.

"Denny does have a point. It sounds rather illogical that because of a statue falling by accident that it means bad things will happen…. I-I just think it fell on its own.…" Sabrina said in her usual low voice.

Vaughn said nothing, and his face expression was blank, giving me no idea what he might be thinking. I saw the others nod their head in agreement. I heard Nathan sigh.

"We are not forcing you to leave the island. We just want you to be cautious, and to warn you… it's your choice on what you want to do," Nathan said.

Then Nathan walked away, sighing once again. Alisa bowed her head slightly to me and then she left in a hurry. I frowned at their retreating forms and couldn't believe what they suggested for me to do.

"_But, what if they are right?_" I thought.

The idea made me depressed.

I then felt someone lightly hit my back in comfort.

"Come by my house real quick Chelsea, and I'll give you advice on what you could do.…" Mark said.

I heard someone growl, Vaughn most likely.

"And why can't you share this so called 'advice' with the rest of us?" he asked with his usual gruff voice.

Mark slightly frowned at him, but didn't respond.

"I'll see you there in a moment Mark.…" I responded.

Vaughn mumbled something under his breath and left in a hurry, Mirabelle followed him, obviously to see what was wrong with him. I shook my head slightly and sighed with sadness.

"If you need someone to talk to, don't be afraid to see me," Lanna said with as much cheerfulness as she could muster.

"Same here," Denny said with a half-smile on his face.

I nodded my head and forced myself to smile at them. They went their separate ways, leaving me with only Sabrina. She looked down at her shoes and fiddled with the end of her hair.

"I-If you want to read any books or anything like that… fe-feel free to stop by," she said in her usual shy manner.

She then ran off to her house. I stood there alone, for a while, and then I decided to head towards Mark house, but at a very slow pace.

* * *

**Elliot's POV**

My sister… my poor, poor sister….

She has been a jerk to me many times in the past and still is at times… and I wished that she would get what's coming to her one day but, I didn't wish for this. I didn't wish for harm to come to her, not in this way….

I don't understand what she has done to deserve this…. Surely not her teasing towards me made her deserve this?

"It's my fault," I said, but mostly to myself in a low voice.

Truthfully, I wanted to cry. But, I didn't want to appear weak in front of Natalie, even in her current state.

"Wh-what you say big head?" my sister said, a little pain behind her voice.

She sounded so weak, and it didn't have the usual harsh enthusiasm when she called me names. I really was on the verge of crying. It may sound strange, but I missed her teasing….

"I said that it's my fault… maybe if I wasn't such a cry baby about you teasing me, maybe this wouldn't have happened to you."

She said nothing, and it felt like forever before she spoke again.

"If I wasn't in pain, I would choke you and then slap you for good measure. You know very well this isn't your fault… unless you are saying you pushed the statue down yourself and predicted that I would push Chelsea out of the way for her not get hurt."

I shook my head.

"Then stop whining like a bitch and be tough for once. You always act like a wimp," she said, her voice a little stronger.

Our mother scolded her for her language. Instead of me feeling hurt by her words, I laughed, I literally laughed. And the distressing tears I wanted to cry before came down my face, but they were tears of joy. Joy, because I knew that my sister would be okay. And I vowed to myself, that in the future, whenever she teased me playfully, I would tease her back in the same manner… and then we would laugh about it. For now on, I will be a better and 'tougher' brother, just for her.

* * *

**Mark's POV**

I was waiting inside of my house, waiting for Chelsea to arrive. I don't know what to think of about the event that happened today… but I knew who she could see about what she should do.

Just then, I heard a knock on my door. I stood up from my chair and walked to the door. Just as I expected, Chelsea was there. I let her in and I took a seat at my table, but she remained standing. I decided that it was best for me to get straight to the point.

"Before you decide anything—"

"If you are talking about me leaving, I'm not going to," she decided, surprising me a little.

I nodded my head before I continued, "I think it would be best for you to see the Goddess herself. Ask for her advice and then, it's your decision on what to do… even if her advice sounds wrong, I want you to at least think about it."

"So… you want me to leave?"

"N-No! I want you to just— think about it. I rather for you to be safe then hurt Chelsea… I would… never be able to forgive myself if something happens to you," I admitted to her.

She looked at me in surprise. I stood up and walked to my fridge, hiding my slight reddish cheeks away from her. I took out a strawberry from the fridge and turned to face her again. I went up to her and gave her the strawberry.

"That's the Goddess favorite food. She almost accepts anything as an offering, but sometimes she doesn't come out. If you give her this, her favorite treat, she'll most likely appear and thank you. So, when you see her, try to get her attention and ask what to do," I said to her.

She nodded her head and turned to go. She left my house and closed the door behind her. I really wanted to go with her, but, I decided not to. She needed to be alone, and I didn't want to intrude with the discussion going on between them— or on her decision afterwards.

"_What if she wants to leave the island?_" the tiny voice in my head asked.

If she does, I will not interfere… though, I have a feeling that I would beg her not to go. I will most likely drop on my knees and crawl to try to make her stay. But, I knew it would be selfish for me to do that. I told her that I cared more about her safety, and I really mean that… but if she does leave, I will have no choice but to leave with her. Because I realized, that I can't live without her… even though that was more selfish then the actions I might do; I wanted to live my own life, to stop doing things for people for once. The island will have to find another rancher.

"_What if she rejects you?_" that tiny voice spoke again.

For that, I had no answer.

* * *

**Harvest Goddess POV**

"_Why can't I see it?_" I thought again, for the tenth time or more that day.

I didn't understand. I have been able to see it for many years without evening trying. But, now… I couldn't see it. I felt like a _part_ of me was missing. Like an arm or a whole leg. Things that people take for granted and don't know how important it is— until it is gone.

That is what I felt like right now…

I took this power for granted, and now… I knew that it was gone— or at least I couldn't feel it anymore. No matter how hard I dug deep within myself, to find that core of power, to draw it out to help me see it. I just couldn't… the magic wasn't there… I felt incomplete.

Just then, the surface of the pond I am in rippled a bit, and I saw a strawberry slowly drift down in front of me. I grabbed the strawberry, but didn't eat it right away. I made a small air bubble and trapped the strawberry within it to save it for later.

"_I suppose I should thank the person for their offering. Despite the problem I may have._"

I floated upward in the pond, doing the usual sparkle show (doesn't really require magic), and then I was on the surface of the pond, floating just a little.

"Thank you for the offering," I said.

I knew I was being rude, but, I didn't have time to chat. I had a serious problem on my hands. Before I could sink to the bottom of the pond, I heard a woman's voice shout, "Wait! I need to ask for your advice!"

I sighed to myself, but I focused my attention to her. Just by a glance at her, I already knew who she was.

"Ah, Chelsea. How may I help you?"

She looked surprised momentarily that I knew her name, but she regained her composure.

"I'm here to ask what I should do. Or, do you know what it means? The statue, of you, fell down during the festival to celebrate your birthday. It almost crushed me, but I was saved from the event. Unfortunately, another is suffering from it now…. I was told by Nathan that by it falling, it means bad things are going to happen to me and possibly others… is this true? And, can you please advise me what I should do?"

I looked at her, troubled.

"The statue of me fell down? That explains it…." I muttered to myself, but loud enough for Chelsea to hear.

"What explains it! What is this 'it' you are referring too!"

I sighed before I answered the question.

"The 'it' I am referring to is my ability to see— the future. Before you arrived, I had trouble all day trying to see into the future. Usually I can without difficulty… but since this morning, I can't even glimpse the future— not one day ahead, not an hour ahead… nothing. I can't even tell what the weather will be like tomorrow…"

"What do you seeing the future have anything to with now?"

I could see that she was frustrated and couldn't see the problem of the situation.

"The problem is that if I can't see the future, then anything can happen. I can't help change the future… if something horrific is going to happen, then I can't change it even a little to make it into something good or less painful. If I had been able to see the future of the statue falling down during the festival, I would have probably caused a strong wind to blow it in some other direction or caused a little earthquake to make it stop its destination…. You see the problem now?"

I saw her nod her head slowly, with her eyes open wide. I'm sure she can now see the graveness of the problem.

"What should I do?" she asked me.

I looked at her with troubled eyes. Truthfully, I don't know what she _should_ do. Since I can't see the future, then I can't even tell her where she should go for her own safety. Someone could easily take advantage of this situation. Chaos could be caused by the Witch Princess herself and I wouldn't be able to do a thing about it. What happens if these dreadful things occur when she goes home, or while she is on the boat on the way home?

"I don't know what you should do… maybe you should go home before it is too late."

"I'm not going home. I waited a long time to find a job that I would enjoy."

"I think you should think about it— long and hard. If there is danger here for you, then it would be best for you to leave. Although, I suggest you to ask Taro about the weather, it might be best to leave the island when the weather is clear while a storm is not brewing… there is nothing more I can do."

I saw her face contort into a frown. I sighed again.

"Maybe the Witch Princess can help you. She and I may not get along but… maybe she'll help you. She can see the future as well," I commented, giving her a little hope.

The frown faded from her face. She turned and left, not even saying a polite goodbye to me. I sighed through my nose as I sunk back into the pond.

"_What will I do now?_" I thought, trying to think of a solution to my serious problem.

* * *

**Witch Princess's POV**

I threw some more of the magic powder onto the big teddy bear, frustrated with it. But again, nothing happened.

"Damn it! Speak! Who is the fairest one of all!"_**(5)**_

The big teddy bear didn't say anything, or show any images in its black beaded eyes. I kicked the overstuffed bear, and it didn't affect it— nor did what I demanded.

"What's wrong with you! Why are you not responding to any of my commands!"

I picked up one of the many books on the floor and flipped through the pages, trying to seek a reasonable explanation to this problem. I heard a creaking noise and knew that someone entered my house— without knocking.

"It's _very_ impolite to enter one's home without knocking!" I yelled without facing the intruder.

I heard the person sigh.

"I usually knock and all… but, this is an emergency. I have a problem."

I turned around to face Chelsea and scowled at her.

"As if you're the only one with a problem! Can't you see that I am busy!"

Chelsea didn't move to leave, and I stood there with the book open still in my hands. If my mind wasn't so muddled, I would literally turn her into a pigeon!

"So, it's not just the Goddess having a problem… you are too it seems," she said.

"Problem? What problem does she have!" I demanded.

"She told me that she can't see the future… not even a glimpse of it in any timeframe it seems."

I somewhat calmed down.

"So, it's not just me having the problem. She has it too…. Well, that makes me feel a little better…"

"So… you can't see the future either?"

"No, I can still do other magic spells. But, I can't do any spells that has something to do with time."

I could see, on her face, that she was confused.

"How are you able to see into the future? You don't have a crystal ball or even a caldron with strange liquids in it to see the future on the surface."

"Silly Chelsea, I can see the future through _this_—"

I pointed to the big overstuffed bear behind me with a thumb.

"—stuffed bear's eyes. But, he hasn't shown anything in his eyes… and he hasn't spoken either."

"Th-That thing can talk!"

"Yeah, but only when I command it to. But this thing is disobeying orders!" I yelled in frustration as I kicked the bear again.

"So, I guess you can't help me either," I heard her say sadly.

"If it has anything to do with the future and changing it, then no I can't. Anything else, I might be able to do."

I heard her sigh again, and then I heard the creaking of my door— she obviously left.

I sighed to myself, and went back to looking through my book, trying to find a solution to my grim problem.

* * *

**Chelsea's POV**

I couldn't think straight. My mind was still going through the information the Goddess and Witch Princess told me… and I kept asking myself, "Why me?"

I remembered when I was younger; I read many more fiction books then now. Through those books that I read, I always wanted to be in one; Where magic was real and mythical creatures can be seen practically everywhere. On occasion, I still wished for it as I became older. Now though… meeting the Witch Princess and seeing the Harvest Goddess was exciting, but I didn't like the situation that became attached with it. It seems that what I wished for— is going to be more then what I can handle.

I reached my house without even knowing it. I walked into my house, and I wasn't surprised to find Natalie on my bed still, with Pierre sitting on the bed beside her. Elliot and Julia weren't here, I noticed, though Taro and Felicia were still around. I just stood there by my doorway, unable to speak at the moment. What could be said at this point?

Just then, I heard two voices outside of my door.

"Is the patient resting here?" I heard an unfamiliar voice ask.

"Yeah, she's inside, on the bed. You should be able to just walk in," I heard the other voice say, Denny's.

The door opened and the person stepped inside. It was obvious that he was a doctor, wearing a head-mirror_**(6)**_ on his head which was holding some of his black hair down, carrying a small black bag in his hand, and wearing a white lab-coat. He looked around with his black colored eyes, and I pointed towards the bed— knowing what he was most likely looking for. He nodded his head at me once, in thanks, and approached Natalie on the bed. He kept his face expression in a professional manner.

"Hello, my name is Dr. Trent. I was asked to come by to take a look at a girl named Natalie. I'm assuming this is her."

He bent down a little towards the bed, and looked at her, up and down with his eyes only. After a few, he stood up straight again.

"I can't tell the extent of the physical damages without doing an X-ray on her… is this your home?" he asked, looking at Felicia.

Felicia shook her head.

"It's my house actually," I said.

Dr. Trent nodded his head in understanding.

"Well, I don't want to do the following procedure inside of another's home. So, we will take her to the hotel I saw not too far from here."

Dr. Trent looked at me.

"Can you please ask that fellow to bring in the stretcher?" he asked me.

I think he was referring to Denny. I opened my door and told Denny to bring it in. This doctor obviously came prepared.

Denny pushed the white long stretcher into the house and pushed it as close as he could to the bed. The doctor asked us to help him lay her down on it, as gently as possible. Following his instruction, we succeeded and he pushed her out of my house with Denny holding the door. Since the patient and doctor were leaving, Pierre, Felicia and Taro followed him out. Denny closed the door after they left.

He turned to look at me. Under different circumstances, I would have offered him a drink and some food, like a gracious host should do. But I just wasn't feeling very gracious at all— neither did I feel like talking.

Denny scratched the back of his head, feeling awkward. He then forced out a cough.

"Uh, So… what are you planning to do?"

I shrugged my shoulders in response. I _really_ wasn't in the mood to talk. I just wanted to be alone with my thoughts for a few hours. Denny seemed to understand that I wanted to be alone.

"I understand… I'll see ya around, okay? Don't hesitant to come on by," he said.

He opened the door, waved to me once, and left. After I counted to ten, and that I was positive that he was gone, I fell onto my bed and let my feelings take over me.

"_What have I done to deserve this?_"

* * *

**Felicia's POV**

I was waiting for the doctor to come back from the room. He hasn't left the room in a little over an hour. He had asked me, Pierre, and my father to leave the room while he checked her, making us wait in the lobby.

I had to force my legs to sit down, to try to occupy my mind on something else… but it was impossible to do. How could I think about anything else when my only daughter was in a room, looking miserable? I was about to get up and pace around in the lobby again, but that is when Dr. Trent came out of the room. I ran up to him as if my shoes were on fire.

"How is she! Will she be okay! Is there anything that I can do to ease her pain!" I frantically asked him the various questions that were buzzing around in my head for a while.

He sighed and handed me a manila folder.

"Inside of that folder are the x-ray images and a full report of how serious the damages are to her back."

"Please tell me, I don't want to read it."

I know I seemed rude, but, I wanted to hear from the doctor himself that she was going to be okay, not read some report that I might not understand.

"Well… she will have a hard time sitting up and possibly digesting food. Anything that has to do with her abominable muscles will be affected. She can't bend down and do anything that will strain her. If she works, she needs to stop working and just rest. She possibly might have a hard time going to the bathroom on her own. And since she can't be sitting up or squatting, I will have no choice but to attach a urinary bag to her. In addition, I will have to make sure she doesn't eat any foods that could constipate her stomach."

I said nothing as I absorbed the information in my head.

"You still haven't said if she'll be okay."

"The damages to her back are a little crucial, but she isn't paralyzed. So, she'll be fine overall."

I sighed in relief.

"How long will it take the young'in to get better?" my father asked.

Dr. Trent said nothing for at least a minute, and I didn't like his silence.

"It'll take her seasons to heal… possibly…."

"What do you mean by 'possibly'! I thought you said her injuries are only a little crucial!" I was losing myself.

He stuttered for a moment, obviously not use to be yelled at.

"Well, her back isn't that bad… but it is difficult for me to say how long it will take her to heal. I will say seasons, maybe even a year and a half before she will fully recovers… It's impossible to say."

And that is when I cried. I couldn't take the pain… my poor daughter… was suffering, and there wasn't anything that I could do to erase her pain.

* * *

**Denny****'s POV**

I was inside of my shack, even though I usually would be at the diner around this time to eat dinner; I just wasn't in the mood to be around anyone. Everyone was depressed about something, not that I'm not either but… can't anybody lighten up just a bit and _try_ to be happy? I mean, it's not like it's the end of the world….

I sighed to myself as I looked out of my window. It was getting dark and the boat to go to the city was there. Truthfully, I was by my window to see if Chelsea really was going to leave. I didn't want her to because she just got here, not to mention that I think the whole 'bad luck' thing is bogus— at least a little. Still, she shouldn't leave because of some statue. I mean, when my parents died due to their boat sinking because of a storm, I didn't stop fishing altogether. I just became a little more cautious about fishing out in the sea when the sky is cloudy….

I looked out of the window, and I saw a figure approaching the boat. At first, I feared that it was Chelsea and that she was trying to leave in secret. But once I saw the cowboy shaped hat, I knew who it was. I left my shack and approached the figure before he reached the boat.

"Yo Vaughn."

He looked at me and blinked his eyes.

"Why is it that you always seem to catch me out here when I'm about to leave?"

I shrugged my shoulders.

"I don't know, I just do…. Say, have you seen Chelsea?"

He scoffed at my question.

"No I haven't. I don't have time for her. Why? Not that I care."

I sighed out loud, showing my distress.

"Well, the last time I saw her was a few hours ago. She returned from— wherever she came from and looked occupied about something. I asked her what was she planning to do and she just shrugged her shoulders at me. She looked like she was going to cry…."

"And why do you care if she does or not?"

"Because she is my friend… not to mention, it looked like she was going to consider leaving the island. I kind of saw it in her eyes…"

"What! She wouldn't leave the island because of some stupid statue and rumors about possible bad things happening in the future!"

"Well, maybe something changed her mind… or convinced her to think about her decision… I don't know… Maybe Mark will get her to change her mind."

I saw Vaughn glare at me darkly.

"And what makes you think he can? He probably said something to her to convince her to leave."

"I don't think he wants Chelsea to leave. If you haven't noticed, he's been a little happier than usual since she came to the island to work for him."

I heard him scoff.

"Whatever…. It's not my problem."

"You're probably right… maybe it's not your problem," I said, deciding to retreat back to my shack.

Once I was inside, I looked out my window to watch Vaughn go on the boat… but he didn't. He turned away from the boat and headed towards the exit of the beach. I couldn't help but smile lightly to myself.

"_Looks like it won't be Mark changing her mind after all…._"

I stretched and decided that it was time for me to hit the hay.

"_Maybe tomorrow will be a better day._"

* * *

**Vaughn's POV**

I was convincing myself that the reason why I was going by her house was because I wanted to make sure she didn't quit her job due to some damn rumor… not because that stupid rancher will be at her house tonight for —unknown reasons to me. Also, it won't be because I actually cared if she was okay or not. Next thing I knew, I was in front of her door. And for the first time, I noticed the craftsmanship of her house, the outside walls and then the door itself.

"_I didn't know the doorknob was in the shape of a cow's head._"

I was about to knock on her door, but I stopped my hand midway and hesitated. I felt myself get a little hot under the collar, which is strange because I am usually never hot, considering that I could be wearing the same clothes in summer and be just fine.

"_Why am I like this? Am I nervous?_"

I put my hand back against my side. I took one deep breath and tried again, this time I didn't hesitate. I waited for at least half a minute. But there was no answer.

"_Maybe she went to bed early?_"

I knocked on her door once again. After waiting for a few seconds, I finally heard her voice from the other side of the door.

"Whoever it is, go away…."

I gritted my teeth. There was no way in hell I was walking off after I walked all the way up here— not to mention missing my boat to go back to the city! I knocked on her door harder.

"Open the door! Or I'll gladly break it down!" I yelled to the other side.

I stood there, trying to calm down. I heard her muttering on the other side of the door. I thought she was not going to open the door, so I got ready to knock the door down (I was serious). The door was opened before I could do anything. I looked at her face, and my anger fled me. I could tell that she must have cried recently, her eyes were a little puffy and red. I swallowed and my mouth felt dry, I didn't know what to say to her.

"Do you want to come in?"

I just nodded in response, not trusting my voice at the moment. She moved out of the way for me to come in. I walked in, and I again was amazed with the craftsmanship. I didn't get the chance to look at her house thoroughly before due to the crisis… I had to admit to myself that her house looked nice and comfy too.

She took a seat at her table and waved her hand at me to join her. I hesitated again. I wasn't planning to come inside of her house, not to mention, join her at her table to talk it over. I expected to just come and go. Of course, nothing goes according to my plan…. I took a seat, opposite of her.

"So, you want anything to drink or something?"

I shook my head. I didn't want to make myself too comfortable. She would be expecting Mark soon and I didn't want to be here when he did arrive.

"I won't be here long. I just came by to— see what you are planning to do."

She looked away from me and stared at a wall, and she looked more troubled then before.

"_Maybe I said the wrong thing…._"

This is why I hate socializing with people. Emotions are unpredictable and hard to interpret. At least with animals it's easier to figure out what's wrong with them, and they state what they are thinking with actions. Why must people be so— hard to figure out!

"_Say something to comfort her or something,_" my conscience said.

I didn't know what to say, so I asked an obvious question instead.

"Are you, uh… okay?"

Duh! Of course she wasn't okay! She was crying before I got here! See? I can't socialize with people.

She looked back at me, "I'm fine."

Well, it's a start at least. Now if she would hurry and tell me her plans….

"And I'll be fine when I return home tomorrow morning."

And that is when I lost my temper. I stood up from my seat and growled at her.

"You're actually going to leave! Because of some damn stupid statue!"

She looked at me with a frown on her face.

"I have my reasons for wanting to leave; it's none of your business what I do."

"If you leave this island, I'll drag you back here myself! If you leave, Mark will just sell all of the animals back because he can't take care of the animals well enough!" I snapped.

Not to mention, if she does leave, when Mark sells the animals there goes my Wednesdays and Thursdays of work— which means less pay.… But there was no need for her to know that. She then stood from her own seat, trying to look tough or something in front of me. I didn't see the point of it, she was shorter than me.

"Who are you to decide my decisions or what I do with my life!"

I scoffed at her words.

"Sounds selfish to me! But, if you want to run away like the damn coward you really are, then be my guest!"

I turned around to leave; I didn't want to be here anymore. I shouldn't have come— despite what Denny said. I should have just went on the boat and be on my way. I would right now be on my bed sleeping and worry about other things that are more important— not this! I put my hand on the handle, ready to yank the door open, but then her voice froze me.

"Wait!"

And I did… I don't know why I stopped, but I did…. I didn't turn to face her though.

"I-I'm sorry. You came over to see if I was okay and I practically yelled at you…. I just— have a lot on my mind is all," she apologized with sincere.

I wanted to tell her 'apology accepted' or something along those lines. But, I didn't….

"Whatever."

I opened her door and left. Instead of my feet taking me to the beach where I could wait for the next boat, I instead walked towards the hotel to rent a room for the night. I didn't want to go by my aunt's shop, making her see my annoyed face expression then ask questions— or assume I annoyed someone first and I became annoyed myself. I sighed to myself.

"_Why didn't I just accept her apology?_"

But, it's not like she needs my comfort, her _boyfriend_ will be over at her house pretty soon anyway. Again, I felt the pit of stomach tighten, my heart felt heavy, and my mouth went dry. The same feelings I had earlier when I thought that she might like that stupid rancher. I don't know what's wrong with me, but I didn't like it.… Not to mention, I don't like that Chelsea girl either.

"_Then why are you spending the night at the hotel?_" my annoying conscience asked me.

I decided to just ignore the question; I was too damn tired to think about anything.

* * *

**Shea's POV**

Something not right… I had been out all day to hunt, but there wasn't a single thing to hunt… not even the fish come out. The weather should have made them swim around towards the top of the water… I now sitting in a tree, still trying to hunt before too late— plus to not go to bed starving. But, luck not with me… I found nothing… I returned home empty-handed. I looked at Wada with a depressed expression.

"…..Hunt… Good?" Wada asked.

I shook my head. I saw him sigh.

"….. Me…. Either….."

I find strange that Wada find nothing. I sometime find nothing to hunt, but Wada _always_ come home with food. Something definitely not right…

"Something not right Wada…. I can feel it… I think animals feel it too… Do you think bad happened today in town?"

He just nodded his head. So, he feels it too…

"What to do?"

He said nothing for a while, but I waited patiently to hear his wise short words.

"….. See… Friend… Tomorrow…."

I nodded.

"I see Mark tomorrow…."

We went to bed. I slept on the bear rug and ignored the small growls of hunger coming from stomach.

"_Day better tomorrow…._"

I went to sleep quickly, dreaming of nothing but fish…

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_

* * *

__**BONUS**

**Title:** _**Left in the Dark**_

**By:** kitty868theonly

**Rating:** T; For an angst-like theme here.

**Type of Story:** Harvest Moon: Island Of Happiness; Vaughn; **Oneshot (Vaughn's POV)**; Angst/Sorrow

**Quick Summary:** After Vaughn had a chat with Denny about both of them not having parents, Vaughn decides to see the Witch Princess to see if she can tell him what they were like; Since his aunt refuses to tell him about them herself. What will he find out?

**Character's Presented (in Order of A****ppearance):** Vaughn & Witch Princess.

**Started On & Completed Date:** September 20, 2009

**Total Pages:** 6

**WARNING:** This oneshot has _**NOTHING**_ to do with the story above. This is just an oneshot that I made is all… However, you can consider this a glimpse of what Vaughn parents might have been like. You get a deeper look at his past pretty much.

* * *

**Vaughn's POV**

I decided that it was time for me to find out… About my parents… My aunt wouldn't tell me anything, no matter how many times I asked her. And Julia didn't know either, since her mother never told her… So, I am left with only one option… To go see that Witch Princess I heard about.

When I first heard about her, I didn't believe it. But, when I was pacing around in the forest a few days back, I saw some young woman I've never seen before. She introduced herself and told me that she is the Witch Princess. I still don't believe it, but what choice do I have? She can prove herself when I ask her about my parents.

I took a path that I rarely take and kept going, turning a few corners. And there I saw a small house. It looked kind of creepy, but not enough to make me turn around and walk away. I walked up the house and knocked on the door. Not even a second later, the door was opened, and there stood the woman who introduced herself as the Witch Princess. She looked surprised to see me- especially at night…

"Well, I didn't expect to see you again. You come here for a reason?"

I decided to get straight to the point.

"I came to see if you can tell me about my parents… I— don't know what they look like or anything…"

She tapped her fingers against her chin.

"Well… I guess I can do that, I'm not busy at the moment… Come inside."

She opened the door wider. I hesitated… I wasn't sure if it was a good idea to be entering a witch's house at night- especially at night… For all I know, she could be the same type of witch from Hansel and Gretel_**(7)**_. It sounded gross, who would want to eat a guy like me? I shuttered but I entered her house, with caution. She shut the door behind me, though it felt like she slammed it. I expected her to shout, "Got ya!" to me, but the words didn't come.

"So… You want to know about your parents…"

I nodded my head.

"Okay… Go stand in front of that big teddy bear while I get the items I need prepared."

I saw her walk to her shelf with different bottles of liquids lining the shelves.

I saw the big teddy bear, basically in the middle of her whole house. I walked over to it and stood in front of it, with my back to its face. There was no way that I would let the witch out of my sight, if she wanted to catch me by surprise, I wouldn't give her that chance.

She finally approached me with a few different bottles in her hand. She held all of the bottles in one arm, while her hand went into the brown pouch that was wrapped around her waist. In one quick movement, she threw something at me! I was about to yell at her, but then I realized that nothing happened to me. And I also realized that what she threw was some magical sparkly powder, but not directed at me… I felt something shift behind me, and I turned to face the teddy bear. The bear wasn't moving, but it was shaking as if some small earthquake was under it. But, just as suddenly as it started, it stopped. I heard the witch curse under her breath.

"Well… It either doesn't want to share the information or it's literally broken!"

I heard her sigh.

"Face me; I'll do it myself…"

I followed her instructions. She asked me to raise my left hand, as if I was making a vow. I again did as she said. She rested the palm of her own hand in my own. She closed her eyes and started some sort of chant in a foreign language that I didn't understand. And then she opened her eyes. Instead of the regular hazel and reddish color eyes, her eyes were completely white, and slightly glowing. I looked at her in shock, and for the first time since I came into her house I felt- afraid… I instead closed my own eyes; I didn't want to look at her own… They looked soulless, like nothing was there.

After what felt like forever, I felt her hand leave my own and I opened one eye to look at her. Her eyes were back to normal and she looked confused about something. I focused on her face and waited for her to say something. But of course, she wasn't going to take the initiative to tell me.

"Well!"

I have to admit that I was very anxious to know the information. She looked at me sadly, and I knew that I wasn't going to like what she would tell me.

"I-I see nothing but darkness… I couldn't see anything... It's as if a big brick wall is there… Blocking my way…"

"What?"

I didn't understand.

"Well… There is one more procedure I can try… But, I'm not sure if it's a good idea…"

I grabbed her arms and shook her, but not hard enough for her to drop the bottles in her arm.

"I don't care! I have to know something! I am not leaving empty handed!"

She closed her eyes and sighed.

"Okay… But, you will not be able to _see_ the past. You will only _feel_ the past, of what your parent's were like."

I let go of her, I didn't understand what she meant. She obviously saw my confusion.

"It's better for you to find out then to explain it."

She opened all of the bottles she had in her arm and poured a little from each bottle into only one. I swallowed a lump that formed in my throat. I didn't like the color of the liquid… It was turning black… I couldn't imagine what it tasted like, though I knew I would be tasting the concoction soon… Once she was done, she handed the bottle to me, with the black liquid in it…

"You seriously want me to drink this?"

She nodded her head. I sighed and I prepared to drink it. I wanted to drink it with my eyes open to show that I feared nothing, but I chickened out at the last second. I drunk the liquid with my eyes closed, taking large swallows at a time. The liquid tasted very bitter, it was like trying to drink lemon juice, with no sweetness to it. My mind was screaming to stop drinking the foul potion, and leave while I still had the chance. Maybe it was better to not know then to go through this. But I ignored my conscience and drunk the whole thing. After I finished, I dropped the bottle onto the floor, it didn't shatter though, like I expected it to.

At first, nothing happened, I felt fine, despite the slight numb feeling on my tongue. But, all of a sudden- my body was hit with a strange coldness. I felt cold all over, despite the warm clothes I wore. I started to rub my hands along my arms, but then, the feeling in them left me! I couldn't feel my arms, or control my hands- they felt numb… No… They felt dead… I started to panic, I was about to ask the witch what was going on, but when I opened my mouth, I felt pain… Nothing but pain…

I instead fell onto the floor and stayed there, trying to ignore the pain I felt throughout my whole body. I wanted the pain to end- so badly… I felt like my whole body was getting hit by a truck- constantly. And the pain didn't lighten either. I looked up at the witch with my eyes, but that was when my eyesight shut down. I saw nothing but the darkness. I was blind!

I started rolling, I think, on the ground, trying to ignore the growing pain of my whole body. I could feel myself dying, at a slow pace… It felt so slow… I wanted to hurry up and die; I couldn't take this pain… My heart was pumping so loud that I could hear it through my ears… But… Then I felt my heart beating slower and slower… And I knew that I was going to die…

Suddenly, everything that I felt stopped… My eyesight came back, the pain disappeared, and I didn't feel cold anymore… It was as if nothing happened. I was still on the ground… I looked up at the witch's face, and she looked worried and scared.

"Are you okay!"

I just nodded my head and I slowly stood up, appreciating the feeling of my arms and hands again. I wiped my forehead, and realized that I must have been sweating during the— painful experience… Though why couldn't I feel it before, I didn't know… I also rubbed my eyes, and they felt wet… I must have been crying without realizing it… I felt embarrassed then… This person saw me in the weakest state possible… I hoped that she wouldn't open her mouth about this and tell anybody…

"Are you sure you're okay?" she asked again.

I nodded my head again, not trusting my voice. I heard her sigh in relief.

"Thank goodness! You were turning blue and you're eyes faded to black. I thought I lost you there for a second."

I just nodded my head again.

"_I would be dead if you didn't snap me out of it…_"

"So… What did you feel?"

I froze, I didn't want to tell her what I felt, nor relive the experience in my mind, but I did anyway…

"I felt a strange coldness first… Then I felt my arms and hands go— dead… Then the pain came… Such strong pain… Then my eyesight shut off on me… Finally, my heart was slowly not pumping…"

I looked at my hands and I realized that I was shaking. I again felt afraid- very afraid. I felt like a little boy, lost in the middle of the woods, with nothing to comfort me expect the howling of the wolves; knowing that they would find me sooner or later, and tear me apart limb from limb.

It took me a second to regain my normal posture. I saw the witch look at me with a worried look.

"All of those things you felt mean the same thing…"

"Mean what?"

"They all mean… Sorrow…"

"What?"

My mind was muddled, I couldn't think clearly… Or my mind was denying her words… I refused to believe that my parents experienced nothing but sorrow…

"Sorrow, grief, sadness, regret- any of those meanings will do. Your parents knew nothing expect those things. In other words, they had a very sad life…"

I said nothing.

"So… I must have been part of their distress… They obviously didn't want me around either… Hmph, not different from now…" I said.

I could see the witch reach out her hand towards me, probably to comfort me. But, I didn't want any more of her help- she already did enough… So, I made my leave without thanking her. I exited out of her home and walked off.

While I was walking, I wondered if my life would be filled with nothing but sorrow or regrets… I easily knew the answer. Of course it would be… I had a feeling that it would…

* * *

**AUTHOR'S COMMENTS/NOTES**

* * *

"Before I get into the details of what I want to say, I have Dr. Trent here to explain the full and real details of Natalie's injuries… Uh, if you don't want to hear (or read rather) about this stuff, then feel free to uh- skip this part or leave…"

"That's not nice to tell them to leave when I have something important to say…"

"Eh, not everyone wants to hear a doctor chatter you know… Especially on things that sounds too educational… Some people come here to read for fun- not to bore them to death…"

"I do _**NOT**_ bore people with my- chatter as you say…"

"Just… Start your explanation… Time is short here…"

"Okay okay…! Anyway, the extent to Natalie's injuries should have been more severe then what you have read above. Let me explain…

The statue weighted at least 2,000 pounds. Since the statue hit her back directly, the spinal cord to more specific, it should have killed here- or at least made her paralyzed for life. Even though there are muscles there protecting the spinal cord, they could only do but so much.

For those of you confused about why Natalie's abdominal muscles (stomach) is almost inoperable, it is because on the spinal cord itself, the thoracic areas is damaged, which is located in the middle of the whole spinal cord. Since the nervous system is basically connected to the spinal cord (and other areas of course), which is how the brain sends signals throughout the body (one of the ways anyway). If that area is damaged, then stomach muscles would be hard to control, brain signals would go every which way- or never get to where it needs to go.

But, as I mentioned before, she should be paralyzed for life. And the reason would be because the whole spinal cord should have been damaged- except for the cervical (neck) area. Though she might have gotten whiplash… She would have lost the function of her legs, hip area, and both areas to go to the bathroom. Same reason as before, the nervous system is everything. Think of it this way, you know how some people draw a stickman and the middle part of the body is drawn first? Notice that the middle part connects to everything; the head, arms, and the legs. If the middle part is damaged, erased in the stickman's case, then the head, arms, and legs don't connect to anything or work. Most people that have 'complete' spinal cord injuries, concerning locomotion of the legs and such, don't recover… This is again due to the nervous system being damaged. Now let me explain the nervous-"

"O-kay! Time's up doctor! For those of you seriously interested on the nervous system- and anything else he just talked about- just look it up on the internet or go to your local library and do some solo research. I'm sure they would have some information about things like this. Oh, and if Dr. Trent is wrong about anything he just said- feel free to correct him."

Dr. Trent walked off to deal with more- important matters.

"And now, for my usual notes and comments…."

* * *

**(1)** … _I hate vegetables_: Vaughn does hate vegetables- and flowers… and gems and jewels… Though he does like tofu _steak_ and mushrooms… Weird… He loves sweets for those that don't know… If he keeps it up, he'll get a little big around the tummy area XD

**(2)** … _I just find it odd that you would care so much about Chelsea_…: This whole statement that Denny said… Just sounds— wrong… The way I'm reading it, it sounds like Vaughn is gay…. I don't mean it that way at all, but… I was basically trying to say that Vaughn is jealous with Mark hanging around with Chelsea… I did it again… Uh, just don't interpret this sentence in the wrong way… I did change it at least 3 times before I was somewhat satisfied with his words… but it still sounds wrong…

**(3)** … _our dance routine_: I didn't describe the dance, sorry. For those of you that really haven't seen the Goddess festival dance, try to find a video of it on YouTube, I know there is one, I've seen it myself.

**(4)** … _doctor in Mineral Town_: If any of you are wondering why nobody contacted Chelsea's dad to come to the island instead, since he is only 2 hours away, it is because Chelsea hasn't really mentioned her family to anybody, not even to Mark. Also, because I don't think it is time for him to come back into the story yet. Will he be around in the future? Who knows?

**(5)** _Who is the fairest one of all!_: This line should be recognized, being used in 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'- the Disney version anyway. I was just being funny, or at least trying.

**(6)** … _wearing a head-mirror_: A head-mirror really is what it sounds like- it's a mirror. It reflects light and it supposed to help the doctor see- whatever the problem is closer. But, usually people rather use a pen that lights up or something else.

**(7)** … _from Hansel and Gretel_: I think most people know who Hansel and Gretel are and should know the story. You know, the two kids that eat a candy house and the witch wants to eat them and all that stuff. If you don't know the story, feel free to look it up.

* * *

If anybody was surprised that Natalie was hurt, you really shouldn't be. I did mention that the statue missed Chelsea, not to mention that this story is listed as Romance/Horror (Romance, Humor, Angst/Sorrow/Horror, Mystery, and Drama on the Before You Read page). But I never said that the statue wouldn't hurt someone else instead. If this chapter caused you to be disappointed, sad or any other emotion that has nothing to do with happiness (ignoring the humorous points in the story), and you didn't like feeling these emotions, then I _really_ suggest you to stop reading. Because, from here on out (with possibly a few good things happening), things will only get worse and people will get hurt, though I'm not going to say who or how much the damages will be to them. Do I know who gets hurt and how much? Yes, I do. I practically have a full idea of how this story will end and so on.

If anyone is wondering if what Dr. Trent said above is true- as far I know, it is. Again, if anything he said is wrong, feel free to correct him (er, me).

And… let's see… I'm not going to say what the next chapter will be like. I'll just keep it as a surprise instead. Oh yeah… the day the festival occurred, a Sunday- was really coincidence. I didn't really add up the days or whatever to make it a Sunday- like the days of some people going to church… Weird…

_**THANK YOU ALL FOR REVIEWING**__** (And to those that read anonymously)!**_

**ORIGINAL**** UPLOAD DATE:** September 20, 2009 (9/20/09)

**RE-UPLOADED:** July 31, 2011 (7/8/11 – 3rd time)

**BETA READ BY: **WolfCrystal, 2011


	5. Chapter 4, Breaking Promises

**Chapter 4, Breaking Promises Leads to Disasters**

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**SPRING 9TH – MONDAY**

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**Vaughn's POV**

I was already up and outside looking for my missing toolbox. I don't know why I was up so early, but I was… I was looking for my missing tools near Sabrina's house**_(1)_**… Why would I be there instead of searching in the forest or at the beach where I last had them? Truthfully, I don't know either… I think I'm still pissed off at Chelsea for planning to leave the island, as she stated yesterday. So, I guess I am here to try to catch her and to try to convince her to not leave- again… I guess I didn't give up- at least I don't want to give up… So far, she hasn't come out of her house yet… But, that could be because it was a little before 6AM in the morning.

I looked towards her house from my position. I couldn't tell if any lights were on or not… Since her windows, for some odd reason, are located at the _back_ of her house. I looked away from her house and continued to search for my toolbox.

I was so focused on trying to find my toolbox, that I didn't notice that someone was approaching me.

"What are you doing?"

I stopped searching and turned to look towards the familiar voice- Chelsea of course…

"Hmph! Aren't you going to be late for your boat?"

She looked down at the ground and then back at my face.

"It looked like you were looking for something…"

She completely ignored my question. I was about to yell at her for trying to change the subject, but then Denny appeared out of nowhere- seriously…

"Vaughn? Man, you're an early riser…! What are ya up to?"

I didn't want to tell him that I was trying to stop Chelsea from leaving- because he'll take the whole thing in the wrong way. So, I said something else instead.

"I was looking for my toolbox."

He looked at me surprised.

"You? Lost your toolbox? That doesn't sound like you… You got distracted or something?"

He laughed a little.

"…. Go away Denny," I said.

He looked at me in disappointment.

"I only was joking Vaughn… My bad…"

He then walked off, towards Lanna's house it looked like. I then realized that Chelsea was still standing there. I was about to tell her off, but she said something before I could.

"I'll help you find it."

I clamped my mouth shut. Well, that was unexpected…

I just nodded my head instead… I'll get on her after my toolbox was found.

"What does it look like?"

"It's small, black, and it has one handle on the top."

She nodded her head and started to search on the other side of the path; I took the side closest to Sabrina's house.

"_It's not like she'll find it anyway… I think I lost it somewhere in the forest or on the beach…_"

"Is this it?" I heard her voice.

I turned towards her. There was no way that she found it- out here! But, lo-and-behold, she had my toolbox in her hand. I took the toolbox from her and I tilted my hat in thanks. And that was when I realized that she didn't have any suitcases- and that she was wearing her work clothes.

"Where are your bags?"

She looked at me as if I had two heads.

"Bags?"

I forced myself to stay calm. She found my toolbox after all; I might as well try to be nice to her.

"Yes… Your bags… You said yesterday that you was going back home this morning. Why don't you have your luggage with you?"

She shrugged her shoulders at me and then she smiled… What the hell?

"Maybe I changed my mind," she responded.

I looked at her in shock. Before I could respond to her, she walked off, towards the ranch probably. Once she was gone, I tilted my hat down and half-smiled to myself.

"_She really is something…_"

I turned to head back to the hotel, and that was when I saw some— jungle man on the path. He obviously looked lost. I didn't recognize the man, but I wasn't going to approach him either, he had a spear in his hand. I was going to move to the side and hide from view, but he saw me first.

* * *

**Shea's POV**

I saw the strange man and man looked- frozen? I not sure if I should approach man or not… Man look mean… I spoke instead.

"You Mark friend?"

Man made strange growling noise. The noise sounded similar to a wolf I met once.

"Why are you looking for him?"

Man must know Mark if man asking question.

"I want know bad happen yesterday?"

Man did not talk at first. Man looked- confused?

"You want to know if something bad happened yesterday?"

I nodded my head.

"Hmph! Why do you want to know?"

Man ask too many questions…

"Jungle feel— weird… Animals scared of something… Fish not come yesterday… Something not right… I want know why…"

Man moved shoulders.

"I don't know what's going on in your jungle… But, if you must know… There was a festival yesterday and a statue fell. Two people say that it's an omen and bad stuff would happen… Not that I believe it."

"Omen?"

I did not know word…

"Yes… Let's just say bad stuff will happen because the statue fell down. End of story."

"Man no believe— omen?"

"No. You might be able to catch some— fish today. Yesterday was just a bad day, doesn't mean that all days will be bad."

Man sound sure, so, I sure too. I smiled at man.

"I happy then! Thank you!"

I ran off to jungle. I never know man name, but Mark can tell me, since man is Mark friend.

* * *

**Mark's POV**

I was actually waiting at the entrance that would lead to the beach- just like yesterday… I didn't want Chelsea to leave… But, if she was planning to leave, then so would I…

Last night, I didn't see her come to the beach at all to leave, so, I assumed that she might leave this morning instead, when she knew that I would most likely be on my ranch working.

"_But I'm not going to be predictable._"

I looked up the path, and then I saw something red. It took me only a second to realize that the red I saw was Chelsea's bandana. I expected her to turn towards the beach, where I was standing, but she instead turned to go towards the ranch. I yelled out her name and ran towards her. She stopped and turned to me- with a smile on her face.

"So… You are staying?"

She stuck out her tongue at me… She was too cute…

"You didn't really think that I would give up so easily- did you?" she said with a smile on her face.

I smiled back at her.

"_I should have known better…_"

"Well then, let's get some work done…"

We walked towards the ranch. I was so happy that I felt like my heart was going to burst. Even though the day was bad yesterday, maybe today would be better… And…

"Today is 'Fun Monday'**_(2)_**," I said to her.

She gave me a perplexed look.

"Fun Monday?"

"Yeah… Today, I would usually give out everyone's favorite gift to them- be it food or otherwise. But, I'm going to let you do it instead… Follow me…"

We headed towards my house instead. I unlocked my door and entered with her trailing behind me. On the table were all of the items I was going to give out, all set up already.

"Wow… You're giving away a lot of stuff… Is that I diamond I see?"

She approached the table and looked at it closely.

"That's a _pink_ diamond. There should be two there. One for Sabrina and the other for Regis… That's how I got on his good side you know… All of the gifts will have tags attached to them with their name on it. So, it should be easy for you to give each one a gift. The only one who should have two is Natalie… Since she's hurt and all…"

I looked at Chelsea's face and she looked sad for a second.

"_She probably blames herself for Natalie's injury…_"

"Don't feel too bad about Natalie getting hurt… Besides, if she found out that you felt bad about her- she would literally hurt you."

Chelsea laughed and nodded her head. She knew a little of Natalie's personality, so such an action from her wouldn't be surprising. Then she looked at me, with a confused expression on her face.

"How come there isn't a gift here for Vaughn?"

I froze.

"_Why would she be asking about a gift for him?"_

"Because, he only comes here two days out of the week…" I responded.

"But he's here today, why don't you give him something too?"

I sighed. She wasn't going to let this issue go.

"If you haven't noticed Chelsea, me and him don't get along very well… I don't like him and he doesn't like me, that's all there is to it… Besides, I don't know what he likes anyway even if I wanted to give him a gift…"

She seemed to look disappointed with my answer.

"_But why would she be disappointed? She doesn't— like Vaughn… Does she?_"

That thought alone made me want to jump off a bridge or something. No… There was no way that she would like a jerk like him… She was just being considerate is all… Nothing more…

"I think it would be a good idea for you to hand out the gifts to them, since you are still kind of new and all. Not to mention, it might get everyone's mind off of what happened yesterday… Unless, you don't want to do it of course…"

"I'll do it…" she said, though not with the cheery tone to it.

"_She's mad at me now…_"

"You're not… mad at me… Are you?"

She shook her head, but I could tell in her eyes that she was still mad at me.

"Well… I guess we should get to work…" I said.

She walked away from the table and headed towards the door to leave. I had a thousand thoughts going through my mind… I didn't want Chelsea to be mad at me, not now or ever…

"I'll show you how to mine for diamonds and stuff tomorrow…!"

She looked at me with eagerness, going back to her regular manner.

"Really!"

I nodded my head.

"I promise!" I said.

"That's great! I can't wait!"

She then left my house in a better mood. I smiled to myself and left my house.

"_Yeah… She looks better with a smile on her face._"

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**SPRING 10TH – TUESDAY**

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**Chelsea's POV**

"I can't believe you're leaving! You're backing out on your promise!"

We were at the beach and Mark had his rucksack with him. It was early in the morning and I haven't had the chance to do any of the farm work yet- his or my own… The one who was boarding the boat would be Mark. I was upset at Mark, of course. Mark sighed, and looked disappointed as well.

"I'm sorry Chelsea… But, Carter called me yesterday and asked me to come to 'Forget-Me-Not Valley' today… He wants to look at all of the lithographs and try to decipher the language. He said that he can't come to 'Sunny Island' because he doesn't have enough gold to take the ferry or stay here for even one day… So, I agreed to go there instead… But don't worry! I'll be back tomorrow!" he said, saying the last thing to try to cheer me up.

I still pouted at him, and he just chuckled at my expression.

"I'll show you how to mine as soon as I get back. Until then, just look at my notes concerning what can be found in the mine and at what floor each of them can be found at. Not to mention, how much each item cost."

The horn on the boat honked loud, indicating that it would leave in a few minutes. Mark turned towards the boat to board it, but he turned around to face me once more.

"And don't go in the mine Chelsea…"

"Okay… I won't…"

"Promise?"

"Like you did?"

He sighed, but didn't board the boat, waiting for me to make a promise.

"I promise…"

Mark smiled in satisfaction and then he boarded the boat. The captain took his name and fee, and then he was on the boat. I saw him lean against the railing and he lightly waved at me.

"I'll see you tomorrow morning Chelsea! I'll be here on time to get back to work! I promise!"

I just smiled at him lightly. I saw him walk away, probably to go below deck to his room. I turned away from the boat with a sigh.

"Great… Now I have to figure out if there is anything to harvest and worry about watering them…" I mumbled the rest of my complaining under my breath.

I was back at the ranch again. I looked towards his field. From where I stood, I already knew I had to pick a lot of strawberries and cucumbers. I sighed to myself.

"This is going to be a long day..."

* * *

**Julia's POV**

I was in the kitchen trying to cook breakfast for once. Usually my mom would, but I decided to practice my cooking anyway- since I'm somewhat bad at it… Who wants to marry a woman who can't cook? If I ever get married that is…

I sighed to myself. Just then, I heard the familiar sound of clanging boots- Vaughn of course. My thoughts wandered to yesterday…

When he came by here on Monday morning, I was surprised, but also suspicious. I can understand him being here on Sunday, since he explained that he lost his tools and was searching for them. But, I expected him to leave after he found them… I saw him with his tools when he came in Monday… Not only that, he had a rare half-smile on his face and he said, 'Morin' Julia.' He _never_ says anything to me, not to mention anything nice. He usually glares at me after _I_ say 'Hello' to him. I then knew something was up with him. But, I didn't know what…

That is, until Chelsea came in with gifts for everyone, excluding Vaughn, being 'Fun Monday' and all… While I was sitting on one of the stools at the counter, I saw from the corner of my eye Vaughn fidget a bit and he pulled his hat down over his eyes. When Chelsea gave out the gifts and she explained that she was giving them all out today and not Mark- Vaughn looked upset… Not that he tried to hide it too well… The frown on his face was noticeable, though Chelsea didn't seem to see it... His face expression immediately changed when Chelsea said a simple 'Hello' to him. He muttered 'Hello' back, but… He quickly put his head down to hide his face… An action he rarely does unless he is embarrassed or something along those lines… So, now I know that Vaughn has some sort of thing for Chelsea!

Vaughn took his usual seat at the table; I could hear the chair scrap along the floor, taking me back to the present. I turned around with a full plate of semi-burnt pancakes. Unfortunately, Vaughn thought otherwise, making an obvious sound of disgust…

"I'm not eating this."

I put my free hand on my hip.

"You don't have to eat anything."

He got up from his seat and walked over to the fridge. He opened it and scowled.

"We're out of milk."

"Yeah, I used it to make the pancakes."

"You mean burnt cakes?"

I glared at him, but then I smiled. He didn't like my face expression.

"If you want milk that badly, why don't you go to the ranch and ask Chelsea for some?"

I had a ball with his face expressions. First his eyes widen a bit. Then his face turned slightly red. Finally, he cleared his throat and pulled the brim of his hat down.

"I-Is that where you guys get it from?"

"No. We get it from our own barn like a normal person would do."

He growled, obviously not happy that I basically tricked him, and embarrassed him most likely.

"Speaking of Chelsea… She hasn't come by to talk to me yet…"

"Maybe she finally realized you're not worth the trouble."

I didn't bother glaring at him. I sighed instead.

"She is usually here by 10…"

"It's 10 now."

I puffed out my cheeks at him.

"I know it's 10 o'clock now! I mean, she would really be here by 10, exactly 10 now that I think about it… I wonder if Mark is making her do more work…"

Vaughn snorted in disgust.

"If that's the case, he's getting lazy," he said.

I looked at him, with my eyes squinting a bit. Something I do when I had an idea forming in my head.

"Not that you mind her doing extra work. If I recall correctly, you seemed to think that she'll turn lazy like Mark if she is only taking care of half of the animals that could fit in the barn."

Vaughn said nothing for a few moments.

"I don't have time for this. I'm going to the diner to go eat some _real_ food," he said as he headed towards the door.

I couldn't help but giggle to myself, and that made him speed up his walking process to leave. Once he was gone, I quickly ran to the window and looked out, but I made sure that I wasn't conspicuous. He stood on the path and he went to the left, heading to East Town. But, then he stopped and looked around as if he was trying to make sure that he wasn't being watched. He looked towards the barn and I quickly ducked. I counted to 10 before I looked again. He was still standing there, probably thinking about something, and then he turned around. He was now going the opposite direction of East Town. It took me a moment to realize that he was heading towards the ranch. I smiled to myself.

"_GOT YA!_"

Now I was 100 percent positive that he had a thing for Chelsea. I rubbed my hands together and grinned.

"Oh! This is good blackmail!" I said with glee.

I skipped back into the kitchen to eat. I sat down at the table and wondered if I should share this gossip with anyone or not…

* * *

**Vaughn's POV**

I was scanning the whole ranch with my eyes. The one thing I noticed was that I didn't see Mark anywhere.

"_The lazy bum is probably oversleeping._"

If he's oversleeping, then that would probably mean that Chelsea was doing his work. I growled at the thought as I approached the door to his house. I banged on the door a few times.

I waited there for a moment, but nobody came to the door. I was ready to bang on the door again, but that is when I heard _her_ voice.

"Vaughn?"

I froze and I slowly turned towards her voice. I immediately noticed that her work clothes were dirty; dust and random brown spots on her clothes. I scowled.

"So, I was right that your 'boss' is still asleep and you're doing his work for him. You should have waked his ass up."

She looked at me confused, and then she giggled. I didn't understand what was so funny; it just made me frown more.

"He's not asleep Vaughn. He had to go to 'Forget-Me-Not Valley' earlier this morning due to a certain persistent person. He promised that he'll be back tomorrow morning."

"And he didn't bother telling anyone?"

She shrugged her shoulders.

"It's not really his fault. He didn't tell me either until today. So, I guess the guy called him late at night or something."

She turned away from me and looked towards the field.

"I already agreed that I would do his work. Besides, it's good practice for me."

"You're being too nice."

"And you're being too grouchy."

I didn't bother responding to her. I instead changed the topic.

"Are you still working on the field?"

She nodded her head in response. There was silence between us. I wanted to ask her something, but I hesitated.

"_What if she says no?_"

Before I could get my thoughts in order, she headed towards the field again. I then decided to just 'wing-it'.

"D-Do you want me to help? Not that I care if you want my help or not."

She faced me once again with a surprised look on her face. I then felt stupid for asking such a dumb question. I was about to say 'Forget it.', but then she smiled, making me stop my words.

"Sure Vaughn. I would like that… You want to do the animals?"

I just nodded my head in reply. I saw her take her rucksack off of her back and she took out the tools I needed… Not that I needed it since I had my own, but I didn't want to argue about it. She briefly explained to me how to use the tools, something I didn't need to be lectured about anyway, but again, I didn't argue…. I was just… Kind of glad that she wanted my help… I expected her to decline my offer, not a lot of people wanted me around- work or otherwise…

I didn't know that she was done explaining until I heard a branch snap. It was obvious that she went back to work, I felt embarrassed momentarily, but I headed towards the stable and went to work.

* * *

**Sabrina's POV**

I looked at the alarm clock resting on the nightstand next to my bed. It just turned noon. I sighed to myself. I stood from my bed and headed towards the kitchen that was built next to my room. I wasn't hungry much, but I decided to grab an apple from the fridge anyway. I went back into my room and took my sketchpad and pencil.

"_Just in case inspiration comes to me…_" I thought.

"_Not that you have been trying…_" my conscience responded.

I left my room and headed down the stairs. I walked through the hallway. My father was busy doing some work at his desk- as always… I decided to just leave without saying goodbye to him, not that I'll be gone long anyway... When I opened the front door that was when I came face-to-face with Chelsea. I squeaked in surprise and dropped everything to the floor.

"Ch-Chelsea…! Y-You scared me…!"

My father obviously didn't hear me squeak. I could still hear him pressing the keys away on the calculator. Sometimes he is so oblivious…

I heard Chelsea chuckle at little.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that. I was just about to ring the bell, but you opened the door just then."

She bent down and started to pick up the stuff and that is when she saw my sketchbook. She looked back at me with surprise on her face.

"I never knew that you could draw."

I just nodded my head in reply, too embarrassed to speak. She handed the stuff back to me and I took them.

"I-Is there a reason of why you came by?"

It took me a second to realize that I was probably being rude. But, she didn't look offended by my words.

"Yep! I came by to ask you if _you_ can teach me how to mine!"

I looked at her in surprise.

"T-Teach you how to m-mine…? I-I don't know… Can't Mark show you?"

She sighed.

"Not at the moment he can't… But, I figured you can since your father owns a mining company and all. Well, actually Charlie reminded me that your father owns the mining company- but that's beside the point…! So, would you teach me?"

I looked down at my feet.

"Well, it'll be something different… But, I'm not allowed to go into the mines… My father said so…"

I looked back at Chelsea and she seemed to be thinking of a solution to the problem. And then her face brightened.

"Well, you can tell me what I should know about the mines. And, I'll just figure out how to mine with Mark's hammer. You can come with me only to the entrance, but you don't have to enter or anything. Besides, your father said that you can't go into the mines, he never said anything about being _near_ it."

I nodded, agreeing to her idea. She smiled at me and then she grabbed my wrist.

"There's no time to lose then!"

I luckily had time to close the door before she dragged me off towards the mountains where the mine would be located.

* * *

**Chelsea's POV**

We finally reached the mine entrance. I let go of her wrist and turned towards her.

"Now… What should I know?"

Sabrina looked at the entrance to the mine before she looked back at me.

"Are you sure that you don't want Mark to teach you?"

I nodded my head.

"I'm sure he's good at it, but he won't have as much knowledge about it like you probably would."

I saw her cheeks flush from my comment.

"O-Okay… Well, the first thing you need to know is that there are a lot of floors in the mine. I calculated that there might be over 200 floors, judging by the height of the mountain…"

"200 floors!" I yelled in disbelief.

Sabrina nodded her head.

"The deeper you go, the more valuable the minerals will be. So, it's almost a good thing that there are so many floors… The minerals will be found on big chunks of rocks. The rocks might look like ordinary boulders, but if you break it with a hammer, sometimes minerals will be found. Depending on how advance your tool is, you will either find a lot of minerals or find very few. This is why it is best to bring an empty rucksack with you, unless you are planning to throw away some minerals that you find…"

"What's the most expensive jewel in the mines?"

"There are two actually. The pink diamond and alexandrite. Each cost about 10,000 gold, average anyway. 30,000 if they are big and the quality is good. They will most likely be found at the deeper levels of the mine."

"How do I go to deeper floors?"

"By taking the stairs. You don't have to worry about not being able to see them. As far as Mark told me, he used gold ores to make a sort of sign around the stairs. I'm not sure what he meant by it since I never seen pictures of it or been inside the mine itself… But, he tells me that they are noticeable…"

I absorbed the information she told me. I took the hammer out of my rucksack. Turns out that Mark forgot to lock his door to his house… Since I didn't have a hammer of my own, I'll just borrow Mark's. Not to mention that I will gather more with his hammer then with a new one, since he has wonderfuls attached to it.

"Anymore questions?"

I shook my head.

"Is there anything else that I need to know?"

Sabrina shook her own head.

"No. You should be good to go… Are you sure that you want to do this?"

I sighed.

"For the last time Sabrina, of course I'm going to do this. I'm not backing out now! Besides, there is bound to be adventure in there!"

I don't think Sabrina understood what I meant… I shrugged my shoulders, thanked her, and entered the mine.

Inside of the mine were other miners. Obviously workers for Regis, at least I think so… I easily found the stairs. Sabrina's explanation was vague, but enough to let me know that the stairs would be surrounded with gold ores. I have to say that Mark made a smart move. By him surrounding the stairs with gold ores, probably of the best quality, the lights installed inside of the mine made the gold ores shine, making them practically impossible to miss. I headed towards the stairs and took them down to the first floor. There were rocks scattered in different places. I approached one. I looked on the outside of it, to see if it might be possible to see what might be trapped within… But there wasn't anything to see with the naked eye. I used the hammer and, surprisingly, smashed the rock with ease. I got nothing but something that looked like junk, 10 of them too. I decided to just toss them.

"Maybe I should start with floor 10…"

I looked around for the stairs and found them. I headed towards the stairs and took them down; I repeated the process of finding and taking the stairs down, until I was on floor 10. My luck changed on this floor, I found different kinds of gems and ores. I kept most of it, only throwing out the one that looked like junk. I even found…

"_Purple gems…_"

I didn't know the name of the gems… But I was going to ask Mark or Sabrina as soon as I had the chance… The gems, in a strange way, reminded me of- Vaughn… Well, only a little, the gems were a little to sparkly, his eyes are a little darker… And when I look into them, I see something there… I shook my head to rid of any thoughts of him.

"_What's wrong with me?_"

Maybe the work in the mine is getting me, even though I didn't feel the least bit tired… Whenever I had the chance to ask about these gems… Though I would be careful about asking Mark… I still went back on my promise, but so did he… So, I guess we're even…

I looked around and realized I only had one more rock to go on the floor. I headed towards it, but suddenly, the dirt under me disappeared! I immediately started falling, feeling nothing but the wind, and the sounds of my voice- screaming. I was afraid, I didn't know how far I would fall, neither how I would land. I spun in the air once, with one side facing downward- like taking a criminal photo from a side view. I looked down with my eyes and I saw that the ground was coming closer really fast. I remember nothing but the pain that went through my arm- then everything went dark…

* * *

**Vaughn's POV**

I poured myself a 5th cup of milk. The same milk that I got myself from Chelsea's cow when I was working on the farm hours before. I was sitting at the table drinking it, but keeping my emotions blank. I felt annoyed because my annoying cousin was grinning at me- and I didn't know why. I ignored her at first, but I couldn't take it anymore. I finally put down my cup and looked at her.

"Would you stop grinning at me? It's annoying."

"Why should I?"

"Because I said so."

She shrugged her shoulders and then she sighed.

"Chelsea _still_ hasn't come by yet to see me. What did she do after she was done with her work?"

"How would I know? I don't keep tabs on her."

I didn't tell Julia that I was at Chelsea's farm earlier- explaining where I got the milk from. I told her I got the whole thing from Luke. He has to be getting his food from somewhere…

"Oh? I think you _do_ know. Considering that I saw you heading towards her ranch."

I growled at her, not liking that she knew that I went to the ranch anyway. Damn her!

"I only went by there to check on the animals. Making sure she was taking care of them properly."

"Yeah… I guess that explains why you drunk so many cups of that milk. She must be taking care of the animals _really_ good."

I scowled at her that time, and she giggled of course.

"Oh don't be such a grump Vaughn! I'm only teasing you a little… But, I am really worried about Chelsea… It's already almost 5 o'clock… Can you go-"

"No."

I didn't want her thinking I liked Chelsea- in any form or way… I thought she was a— interesting person… But I didn't like her… I saw her pout at me.

"Jesh! You're not even worried a little of why she didn't bother visiting me today?"

"No."

I got up from my seat, thinking it was time for me to go to the diner… Julia would be cooking dinner tonight and I'm not ready to die yet. I headed towards the door and I heard Julia before I left say, "At least see if she's okay for me Vaughn! I really am worried!"

I looked down the path that would take me to the diner, and sighed.

"_She's probably resting or something at home… Or she could even be at the diner herself… Nothing to worry about…_"

But of course, my mind wouldn't think she was fine. It kept insisting to at least ask someone if they have seen Chelsea at all today… I headed towards Chen's shop instead and entered. I hardly entered his shop (except when I was craving for a chocolate bar), but, someone like him would know where Chelsea is. The one that greeted me was that shrimp kid- uh- Charlie I think his name is... I heard Julia say that the kid looked 'cute' or something to that extent once… He looked like a brat to me…

"Hey mister!"

Not to mention loud…

"How can I help you?" Chen said to me.

I wanted to come and get out as soon as possible, so I went straight to the point.

"Have you seen uh— Chelsea?"

Chen looked confused, and the kid was still smiling… I just felt awkward…

"Well… That is unusual for someone to be asking about something not related to my store… Anyway, I'm afraid not… I was mostly in the back fixing the inventory this morning… So if she came by while I was doing that…"

I turned to go, finding it obvious that I wouldn't get any information here. But, that is when that loud kid interrupted my movements- by running in front of me.

"Wait mister! I know where Chel went!"

"_And I know you should lower your voice a tad bit…_" I thought.

"Alright… Where is she?"

"She looked a little angry this morning. She kept mumbling about something concerning Mark and then something about mining…"

I mentally smiled at the thought of her being angry with Mark- she had every right to be.

"So, I suggest that she should see that vampire looking guy because I heard he owned the mine at that big looking mountain."

"Vampire looking guy?"

I didn't know what the hell the kid was talking about- or who… I heard Chen cough behind me.

"Uh, excuse my son; he can't remember names too well… But, the guy he would be talking about is Mr. Regis. He lives in that mansion located in East Town. You can't miss it."

I nodded my head to him in thanks. I was about to leave again, but the kid was still blocking my path- with a look that looked like he wanted something from me… Of course I should have known the brat would want something from me- nothing is free… Not even information. But, I wasn't going to let the kid win. The kid did move after a few seconds, while pulling off a sad face expression. He acted like I punched him. I sighed to myself and turned to face Chen.

"I'll buy one chocolate bar…"

I got the gold ready while he got the bar. We exchanged and I looked at the kid with the chocolate bar in my hand. Without saying anything to him, I gave it to him. He smiled in glee and took the bar.

"Thanks mister!"

I had a feeling that he somehow knew that I would give in to him if he pulled off the sad face. Damn kid! He's a good actor though…

I left the shop and headed towards East Town. Since I was going there anyway, I might as well go eat first. No point searching for her on an empty stomach… When I entered the area, I heard footsteps not too far behind me. I stopped in my tracks and turned around. There was someone walking on the path, at a very slow pace. The person looked a little sick to me… It took me a moment to realize that the person was Sabrina- she was the only one that wore pink, that I knew of anyway… My gentleman side kicked in.

"You look kind of unwell… Do you need help?"

She shook her head towards me- weakly…

"N-No I'm okay… My house is only right there…"

I realized she indicated the big mansion… I never knew that she lived there… I hesitated to take her home… I still thought she was weird… But, I did it anyway.

"Nonsense. I'm escorting you anyway. I don't want to be responsible if you faint or something."

She didn't protest that time. I escorted her to the house, and I even brought her inside the house… Probably not a smart thing to do, but, I wanted to make sure that she was okay... But, once we were inside, almost immediately her face brightens up and she looked better…

"_What the hell? Was she pretending to be sick?_"

The thought pissed me off, but, why would she pretend to be sick…? Weird girl…

"Thank you so much for escorting me! I feel better now!"

I tuned her out. I'm sure she was still thanking me- nonstop… I was getting annoyed by her 'thank yous' and such… And then I remembered that this mansion was Regis's. Since Charlie directed Chelsea here, I might as well ask her about Chelsea. I looked back at her and focused on her.

"Yeah whatever… You're welcome… Now, do you know where Chelsea is?"

I saw her face fall a bit.

"Ch-Chelsea…?"

"Yes… The rancher girl, she takes care of the animals at the ranch. That Chelsea."

She said nothing for about a minute, and I was getting impatient. But, she responded before I could lose myself completely.

"Ye-yeah… She came by here hours ago… She wanted to know how to mine… So, I told her and then she immediately went mining… May I ask why are you looking for her?"

"_None of your business,_" I thought, but I didn't say it.

"It's nothing…" I said to her instead.

I then turned around to leave. I immediately headed towards the diner. There was no point worrying about Chelsea, since I knew she was at the mine— mining. Which I heard could take hours to do.

I entered the diner and out of habit, looked at the clock hanging on the wall- just turning 5:15PM. The diner wasn't crowded- yet. Usually people come in around 6 or exactly at that time.

I went up to the counter and ordered my food, paying for it now then later. I took a seat farthest from the door and sat down, now just playing the waiting game. I looked around the diner, and noticed that a few of the people were miners.

"_That's odd… Shouldn't they still be mining at least until a little later?_"

I wasn't sure… I wouldn't know anything about mining; I hated gems and ores…

Two of the miners were talking among themselves, but loud enough for me to hear them. Something in the back of my head told me to listen to them. Though, I didn't know why, it was just a feeling… And my feelings were almost never wrong…

"So how was your day today Brent?"

"Eh, same old same old Gail… Though, I saw some girl run down the stairs on the floor I'm usually on."

"A new worker you think?"

"Nah, she wasn't really dressed like a miner, she didn't even have safety gear on or a pickaxe in her hand. I think she's a rancher- kind of looked like that other guy."

"You mean Mark?"

"That's him… You didn't see the girl on your floor?"

"No I didn't. She must not have traveled down far…"

"EH! Amateur she is I bet! She probably doesn't even know the mountain well enough to know that it's dangerous!"

"I guess she wouldn't… I just hope she's still not there…"

"Well, when I left I didn't see her run up the stairs. But, even if she didn't know about the quakes, who in their right mind would be mining past 5PM anyway?"

"Quakes! What quakes!" I yelled, interrupting their conversation, making them jump in surprise as well.

I realized that I lost my temper- I guess I didn't like the guy, Brent, talking negatively about Chelsea. But, I was really worried about the 'quakes' he mentioned; I didn't like the sound of it…

Brent stuttered as if I was about to kill him- maybe I was… Luckily the other guy was in control of himself.

"What he means is that minor earthquakes**_(3)_** always take place there at the mountain around 6PM. I mean, how do you think we find big rocks all of the time?"

I immediately ran out of the diner and headed towards the mountain, going as fast as my cowboy boots could take me. I wasn't thinking about anything. I was just hoping and praying to the Harvest Goddess that she was okay. I ignored the strange looks I got, and I even ignored Denny's cheerful 'Hello' when I ran by him…

I finally made it to the mountain, even though I was tired, I ran inside of the mine as if I was on fire. I didn't know where she was, I could take hours to find her… But, I was determined to find her. I looked around and found the stairs, and I took them down.

I was on my 8th floor now, but there was still no sign of Chelsea. I was sweating and swearing under my breath. I felt hot, tired, and I was panicking more. I didn't know how many floors there were in the mine! And, I hated the place- I felt like I was being smashed, that the walls were slowly coming together… The lights flickering once in a while didn't make me feel any better. I shook my head.

"Focus!"

I found the stairs and went down again, making my feet move beyond what they were use to.

"_You are going to die here…_" my too honest conscience said.

I knew I was running short on time, I could feel my skin crawling and the hairs on my neck sticking up. I could really die here, but I wasn't leaving without Chelsea… And… I didn't think she deserved to die… Maybe I do, but not her…

I made it down to the 14th floor, and I was beginning to lose hope…

"_Maybe Chelsea did leave… Maybe that stupid fat looking man didn't see her leave because he's blind anyway…_" I thought, trying to think a little positive.

Now that I thought about it, I did jump into conclusions… She could be at her house right now… Sleeping or maybe she went by to see Julia and is there still… Maybe she was back at the ranch… Talking to the rancher over the phone… I sighed to myself. I went to the stairs and started to head back up, but, I stopped before I was too far up.

"_I'll check one more floor… Just one more… And then I'll get the hell out of here…_" I thought.

The rest of my mind was yelling and screeching to leave now, before the 'quakes' came… But, I ignored it and went down the stairs to the 15th floor.

I looked around on the floor, and I sighed to myself.

"_I guess I should go now…_"

But, as I was about to head up the stairs, I saw something from the corner of my eyes- it was red. I turned towards the source- and I knew immediately that it was a red bandanna- Chelsea's red bandanna… I ran over to it and picked it off of the ground…

"_She is always wearing this thing… Why would it be here…?_"

I started looking again, much harder on the floor. I now knew that she had to be here! And then, I saw a glimpse of a hand hidden behind a lot of rocks. I walked towards it and walked around it.

"Chelsea!"

I ran by her side and looked at her. She didn't look good, and her right arm was twisted at a very weird angle. I gently shook her, to try to wake her, but she didn't wake up. I put my index finger against her neck, and I felt a pulse. I sighed in relief.

"She's alive…"

I picked her up with all of my strength, though she was surprisingly light, and held her against my chest. I headed towards the stairs and started to go up. When I reached around the 6th floor (I lost count), that is when I felt my feet shake a bit… And then, the whole mountain started to shake…

"_We're going to die…!_"

* * *

**Denny's POV**

I was at the diner, but… I felt like something wasn't right about today… Vaughn running by me like he was in a hurry to somewhere proves that point… He didn't even say hi… And his face… He looked— afraid… Which is really weird. I may not have known Vaughn for long, but I know he _never_ is afraid of anything… Or at least doesn't show it when something is bothering him…

"_Something's wrong…_"

I looked down at my plate of food and picked at it with my fork. I just wasn't hungry all of a sudden. I picked up my plate of food, asked Luke to make it 'to go' and left the diner. I was heading towards West Town, going home obviously. I sighed to myself. Lanna ditched me earlier to 'hang out' with Natalie… Not that I didn't think she didn't deserved the attention, due to what happened to her… But still… And that is when I saw the signature cowboy hat in the distance.

"Vaughn?"

He was running I realized and he again ran by me without saying anything to me… But, I noticed two things… One, his clothes were really dusty... Two, he was carrying someone…

"That can't be good…"

I followed, not too far behind him. It definitely couldn't be good; especially since that Natalie got hurt only a few days before…

"_It seems like that omen is coming true…_"

I shook the thought out of my head though. I still didn't believe in it. Even if it _could_ be true, I wouldn't be around to 'chase' Chelsea off of the island (her fault or not)… And I had a feeling that Vaughn wouldn't either- and probably Mark too…

I saw Vaughn stop in front of the hotel. He obviously couldn't open the door- his hands were full. I could hear him cursing under his breath. I stepped in front of him, surprising him, and opened the door- and I noticed that the person he was carrying was Chelsea… And she didn't look good…

"Vaughn! What happened to her!"

I was really concerned… I reacted like any friend would- even though I only knew her for a few days… Vaughn ignored my concerned outcry and entered the hotel, I followed him of course- I really wanted to know…

* * *

**Lanna's POV**

"How are you doing now Natalie?" Dr. Trent asked her.

I was standing on the side, just watching the doctor ask Natalie the now regular session questions. I was the only one that went to see her today… Well, excluding Pierre and Elliot. Pierre would make Natalie her favorite dishes every day, though Dr. Trent had to approve it first before she could eat it… I knew her brother would come see her sooner or later today; he always came to see her… Speaking of Elliot, he seems to be more— confident now and days… And, he doesn't seem to be bothered by his sister teasing either… And I've seen her teasing him… He either laughs or shrugs his shoulders… Something changed him…

Suddenly, the door slammed open, making me jump and yell "Ah!"

I looked towards the door and there stood the grumpy cowboy… Though his clothes looked really dusty and— is that Chelsea in his arms!

"What on Earth…?" Dr. Trent began, but he was cut off by Vaughn's voice- and he didn't sound happy…

"What are you standing there for! Can't you see that she's hurt!"

Dr. Trent moved away from Natalie's side and quickly went up to Vaughn to examine Chelsea. He looked at one area I noticed a lot, and that is when I saw her arm…

Before I could ask any questions myself, Dr. Trent instructed Vaughn to lay Chelsea down on the extra bed beside Natalie. Vaughn did as he was told and stood there by the bed. He looked— worried… He wasn't even trying to hide his face expression, he was really showing how he felt…

"_I wonder…_"

But, I decided now wasn't the best time to be speculating about anything- Chelsea was hurt.

"Vaughn, what happened to her?"

That voice was Denny's. I turned to face him, and sure enough, he was at the entrance. I didn't see him there before… I looked back at Vaughn, and it looked like he was nervous or something. I saw him swallow before he answered.

"I don't know… I just found her at the mines unconscious already… With her arm…"

Vaughn didn't finish his sentence; he instead looked at doctor- with his usual frown… He obviously wanted to distract himself.

"Well! Aren't you going to examine her correctly!"

Dr. Trent seemed to flinch at his tone, but he walked over to the bedside and looked at her more carefully, but without touching it.

"Well, I'm going to need to do an X-ray on her to know the extent of the damages… So, I need everyone to leave for a moment… Natalie, I'm going to have to use extra sheets to cover you…"

I turned to leave, but I heard someone growl.

"I'm not leaving. I'm staying right here."

That was Vaughn's voice… I looked back at him. And he was shaking just a little, his hands tighten into a fist, and his teeth bared- he was definitely not going to leave. Dr. Trent slightly frowned at him, and he didn't budge.

"If you want me to do a proper procedure on her, I need everyone to leave for a moment. X-rays can be very dangerous and has high radiation-like effects. And I'm not talking about the kind that can make you green and big.**_(4)_**"

Vaughn growled again, but, he did move… Though he left the room in a hurry- probably to cool down. I saw Denny follow behind him… I left the room last. The door was shut, though more like slammed, behind me. I guess Dr. Trent wasn't happy either… I wanted to go where Vaughn and Denny went, outside and ask questions… But, Vaughn didn't look happy and I thought it would be best for Denny, his friend, to talk to him then me… I would just get in their way; besides, he'll tell me later I'm sure… I sighed and sat down at the closest couch I could see, and waited.

* * *

**Elliot's POV**

I just finished with my work and was heading towards the hotel to see my sister… I didn't get to see her today- there were a lot of things to ship today. I sighed to myself. I was worried about- well, a lot of things… My mother for one, she looked like she wanted to just lie down and never get back up again… I think she's taking Natalie's injury the most, feeling a lot of heartache… As for my grandfather, he was pulling off the whole 'She'll be fine!' act while trying to sound cheerful. But, it could easily be seen as a fake act, he was worried just as much… As for me, well, I am worried for her… But, I didn't see any point of worrying about her _too_ much- besides she'll kill me for admitting that I worry about her…

I could see the hotel in the distance and I saw two figures in front of it. They looked like they were- arguing? It was hard to tell… But, as I got closer, I recognized Vaughn and Denny, and they weren't really arguing- more like almost yelling at each other, though Vaughn was the one yelling more. I finally got close enough to hear their conversation.

"Vaughn… Calm down… I know you're worried, but you need to calm down and give me an idea of why Chelsea is like that..."

"Chelsea is like what?" I asked.

Now that I thought about- what was Vaughn and Denny doing at the hotel? Well, I can understand Denny being there, to see Natalie, he did sometimes. But Vaughn… He never came by to see her, not even once… Vaughn scowled at me.

"None of your business nerd!"

I wasn't in the mood for a fight- verbal or not… I looked at Denny instead, asking him with my eyes 'What is going on?' He sighed before he answered.

"Vaughn came here a few minutes ago with Chelsea in his arms…"

That sentence alone was weird, I almost gave Vaughn a quizzical look, but I resisted the urge… I didn't need him snapping at me more- or do something else to me…

"Chelsea was unconscious and her arm looked— broken…"

I frowned. I was thinking that maybe Vaughn hurt Chelsea for- whatever reason… But the reason didn't matter to me; a man shouldn't hurt a woman at all- no matter what she had done. Not to mention, he always looked angry about something, so I wouldn't be surprised if he snapped one day and hurt somebody. But, he should have known better then to take out his anger on a woman- what happened if it was Julia…? I looked towards Vaughn, and I really was angry.

"What did you do to her?" I said through my teeth.

I rarely, if ever, get angry at anybody besides my sister. But, this was an exception. He looked at me in surprise momentarily before he reverted back to his usual frown.

"What _I_ did to her! I didn't do anything to her!"

"You look guilty to me."

He pointed to himself.

"Look at me! I'm covered in dust and dirt and other crap from that stupid mine! I found her there in the state she is in!"

I looked at him, and then I saw what he was talking about… His clothes did look very dusty and dirty… Why didn't I notice it before? I guess I jumped into conclusions too fast… I calmed down.

"I'm sorry… I shouldn't have jumped into conclusions like that…"

"Hmph! Whatever!"

I decided to change topics.

"Is Mark inside?"

He growled at me at the mention of my best friend's name… Wrong question to ask I guess… Though I didn't know why.

"No he isn't. That rancher went off to 'Forget-Me-Not Valley' for some stupid reason!"

I then decided it was best for me to leave. I'll just see Natalie later…

"_I should contact Mark and tell him about Chelsea…_"

I already knew Mark liked Chelsea- he told me himself a few days back. He even told me what emotions would wash over him every time he saw her. I couldn't help but smile at the thought, because I knew what he was talking about… I felt the same way when I first saw Julia 2 years ago…

I decided to go by Sabrina's place, to use her phone to call 'Forget-Me-Not Valley'. I couldn't use Luke's or Madelynn's because, well, I didn't know them too well… But, I knew Sabrina well enough; I thought she was a nice person and smart too. I sometimes came by her house just to read books… But, I didn't come over all of the time… I didn't want Julia thinking I liked her as more than a friend… Because I only saw her as a friend, and I hoped that Sabrina felt the same way towards me…

I was finally in front of Sabrina's mansion without knowing it, and I ringed the doorbell.

* * *

**Sabrina's POV**

I was in my room… Still crying about earlier… When Vaughn helped me into the house, being nice to me, I felt so happy! He was finally talking to me! But then, when he mentioned Chelsea… I felt my heart break and I felt like breaking down right in front of him. But, I forced myself to stay standing.

I saw something in his eyes when he asked about her… Even though he basically told me he had no reason of why he would be searching for her- his eyes told me otherwise. I may not have approached him to have a decent conversation with him- ever… But, I knew when he was worried or lying… I knew his eyebrows arched in a certain way when he was worried, deep in thought or angry (though that one is obvious). I could see that he would try hard to keep his face blank to keep his thoughts personal, but he wouldn't succeed too well…

"_Does he… like Chelsea?_"

I didn't believe in the thought. I wouldn't believe in the thought… Simply because they barely knew each other, not to mention that she just got here. I've known Vaughn, well, indirectly known Vaughn for at least a season or two before he left for good and recently returned… It didn't add up…

"_Maybe he's worried about her because she didn't show up at his workplace to—talk to Julia?_"

That thought made more sense to me. I started to stop crying and started to sniff away my tears, while wiping my eyes with a clean tissue. I then heard the doorbell rang. I didn't have time to look at myself to be more presentable.

I ran out of my room and down the stairs. I opened the door and there was Elliot- no surprise there- he came to see me once in a while. I thought he was a nice guy, but that was all… He can be a bit clumsy sometimes, because he broke one of my special teacups once…

"Here to read something today?"

I was use to him, so I hardly ever hesitant around him. He shook his head at me and smiled lightly, but his smile turned into worry.

"Sabrina… Are you okay? Your eyes look kind of— red…"

I should have known that he would have noticed my distress, he was always observant, despite his clumsy-like nature.

"I'm fine. I just kind of tripped earlier and hurt my knee a bit. I kind of couldn't help but cry…" I lied.

"Do you need to see a doctor?"

"N-No I'm fine! Honest! N-Now, what do you need?"

Elliot sighed, but he didn't push me any further about my eyes- thank goodness…

"I need to borrow your phone… I need to call Mark…"

I let him into the house and led him the way to my father's office. He wasn't there at the moment; he went to the mountains for some odd reason… He never tells me why he always goes to the mountains around 6PM… I pointed to the phone on his desk, and Elliot went to it and nodded his head in thanks to me.

"Wouldn't it be better just for you to go over to the ranch to talk to Mark?"

"He's not at the ranch. Turns out that Mark left to go to 'Forget-Me-Not Valley'."

"Oh…"

"I'm calling him about Chelsea."

I was confused. It was the second time today that somebody mentioned her…

"Is something wrong with Chelsea or something?"

I didn't like being left out of anything- especially news… I heard Elliot sigh as he dialed the number.

"Chelsea's hurt Sabrina… She got hurt in the mines it seems… At least, that is what Vaughn told me… He found her there at the mines, unconscious apparently…"

Chelsea got hurt at the mines? I was really confused now. I've seen Mark almost all of the time coming from the mines, unharmed. I would know because he would come see me afterwards to let me take a look at the jewels and ores he got… He knew I liked looking at them… I mean, I will admit that he looked very unclean after the work, but never hurt…

I gasped… The answer hit me…

"_Oh no…! The pitfalls! I never mentioned them to Chelsea!_"

I then broke down onto the floor and began to cry. I heard Elliot saying something to me and his footsteps coming towards me. But, I tuned him out…

"_It's my fault… It's my fault that Chelsea is hurt…!_"

I cried harder at the thought.

**_TO BE CONTINUED…_**

* * *

**BONUS**

* * *

**Title:** **_The Blue Feather_**

**By:** kitty868theonly

**Rating:** T; Some minor swearing/cursing words.

**Type of Story:** Harvest Moon: Island Of Happiness; Chelsea X Vaughn; **Oneshot (Vaughn's POV)**; Humor and Romance.

**Quick Summary:** Vaughn decides to go by the ranch to check on the animals (truthfully to visit Chelsea), to make sure they are being taken care of, and he sees something that pissed him off- and made his heart break…

**Character's Presented (in Order of Appearance):** Vaughn, Chelsea, Mark, and Julia

**Started On & Completed Date:** September 28, 2009

**Total Pages:** 5

**WARNING:** This oneshot has **_NOTHING_** to do with the story above. This is just an oneshot that I made is all… However, you can consider this a glimpse of what Vaughn jealousy is like, especially important for this story later in the future.

* * *

**Vaughn's POV**

I just left my aunt's shop, telling them that I was going by the ranch to make sure that the animals were okay. Truthfully, I wanted to see Chelsea to see if she wanted to just- hang out or something… But they didn't need to know that- especially Julia…

I headed towards the ranch and as soon as I entered, I saw both Chelsea and Mark. They were standing in front of the shipping bin, not a surprise to me… But, that wasn't what made me freeze in my spot and made me swallow a lump in my throat. In Chelsea's hand, I saw a blue feather…! And- she was handing it to Mark! I briefly looked at his face expression and he smiled happily and said something… I was too far to hear it, but neither did I see the whole act between them… I turned away from the scene and quickly retreated back to my aunt's shop. I felt different emotions going through- the strongest being anger, but the one that my heart felt the most was sadness… Or was it jealousy…? I didn't know, but that was because I couldn't think straight either…

When I entered the shop, my aunt was nowhere to be seen… Thank the Goddess for that, I didn't want her asking me anything. But, Julia was there unfortunately… She saw my face and knew something was wrong- kind of…

"What's wrong with-"

"When that— rancher _woman_ comes by here, tell her I said congratulations!" I said, interrupting Julia.

I then retreated to the 'house' part of the shop before Julia could ask me anything. I took a seat on one of the beds. I didn't care if it was my aunt's or Julia's… I just needed to— think…

* * *

I knew about an hour passed by since I sat down and saw— that scene between the ranchers… I didn't really do any type of thinking for the past hour. I was still— hurting I guess… I didn't deny my feelings, but neither did I accept them… I couldn't accept them…

"_It's my fault for lowering down my guard… I should have just ignored her like I do to everyone else… Why did I lower my guard to her!_"

I was so confused, and I could feel my head throbbing- a headache coming… I didn't know how to react to the early scene I saw… I was already expecting Chelsea to come here first to talk to Julia about her— marriage to Mark… Marriage… Something I never thought would happen to me, something I thought I would never do… That is, until Chelsea came along… I don't know what drew me to her… But whatever did it- I can blame it and I will… But, I knew the entire blame couldn't go on just that… It's my fault for pursuing that strange feeling I had whenever she was around… I should have just ignored it, moved on to another place, quit my job if I had to… I should have run away like a coward, even if it would hurt my pride… That pain wouldn't feel like this pain that I was feeling now… I felt broken, lost, angry, sad, miserable… I wanted to jump off a bridge to end it all… Would I still feel this pain after death too? I didn't know…

My swirling thoughts were interrupted by a ringing sound- the bell hitting against the door when someone entered the shop. Just by hearing the sound pattern of the footsteps, in a certain rhythm, I already knew who the person was- and she was the very _last_ person I wanted to see… But, maybe she won't see me… It's not like she'll really invite me anyway, she has to know that inviting me would be insulting to me… Maybe…

I let myself hear the conversation that was bound to happen between Julia and Chelsea.

"Hi Chelsea!"

"Hey Julia, same cheerful expression as always I see."

"Same to you… Though, Vaughn asked me to say something to you that is strange to me…"

I could imagine Chelsea tilting her head to the side in confusion… I always thought she looked cute doing that…

"What's that?"

"He told me to tell you, 'Congratulations.'… You have any idea what he is talking about, because I don't…"

I didn't hear Chelsea say anything.

"_Here comes the truth… Though I'm surprised that she didn't tell Julia about this stunt she would pull earlier._"

"I have no idea what he is talking about."

I felt like scowling and confronting her for her lie! But, I didn't need to…

"Where is he?"

"He's over in the kitchen area of course…"

I could hear Chelsea footsteps coming towards the area- where I am at. I _really_ didn't want to see her; I was still pissed off and— utterly confused with other emotions thrown in. I didn't need her to make it worse… I don't know if I would do something I might regret.

I saw Chelsea come into my view, and she really did looked confused- and concerned…

"Hey Vaughn."

I said nothing to her. I instead pulled down the rim of my hat to cover my eyes. I thought she would get the message that I didn't want to be bothered…But, of course she didn't- or didn't want to take my actions as an answer.

"Julia told me that you said to— congratulate me… I have no idea what she is talking about neither am I sure for what."

I lost my temper. I don't like being treated like I'm stupid! I stood up from the bed and pointed at her.

"How could you not know what I'm talking about! I'm talking about what happened about an hour ago between you and Mark!"

She cocked her head to the side, confused… If I was in a different mood, I would have patted her head and possibly commented that she looked cute doing that… But, I wasn't in a better mood- not now… And I will probably never be after this…

"Vaughn… I have no idea what you are talking about…"

I gritted my teeth in frustration. She was making this hard!

"The damn blue feather! I saw you giving it to Mark about an hour ago! A blue feather is a way to propose to somebody! And you did with Mark! And not-"

I stopped right there… I almost yelled, 'And not with me.' But, I held my tongue in time. If I had of yelled it, it would have told her a lot of things… And I didn't need her to tell her _husband_ Mark about it later… Then me and him would hate each other more then we already do…

I finally focused on Chelsea's face. She was calm; I guess she was use to me getting angry sometimes… But, why wasn't she mad at me! It made me angrier- if that is even possible.

"Vaughn… It's true I gave Mark a blue feather… But, I wasn't proposing to him…"

"Say what?" I asked stupidly, now I was _really_ confused…

"I gave it to him because the blue feather was requested, a special request. Some guy in the city wants to use it to propose to some girl. Mark couldn't get it himself because his work takes a while to do, so, he asked me to get it from Chen's shop. I just gave it to him to ship… I think it's kind of bad luck for a girl to ship a blue feather when it's going to be used by a guy later… So, I asked Mark to do it…"

And that is when I really felt stupid… I jumped into conclusions, when I should have just asked her directly…

"_Luckily I didn't go jump off a bridge…_"

I felt awkward and ashamed that I yelled at Chelsea and, I'm sure I embarrassed her… Not to mention embarrassing myself…

Without thinking my actions through, I approached her and kissed her on the forehead. I didn't bother lingering, or even thinking about how nice she smelled… I just quickly left the 'room', ignoring my evil cousin's grin, and exit out of the shop. I walked off towards the beach, hoping I could take the next boat out of here… Even though it may not be time for me to leave, I didn't want to see her face again at the moment…

But, while I was speed-walking towards the beach, I promised to myself that I would make Chelsea mine… And mine alone…

* * *

**AUTHOR'S COMMENTS/NOTES**

* * *

Well, I originally wanted to end this chapter a little later, but, I'll just continue it with the next chapter instead… I also thought this chapter would be shorter than it is now- but I guess I was wrong and I extended it too… The original title for this chapter was 'Falling', but, I thought it was too obvious of what would happen- but then again, the title now still makes what would happen a little obvious… I'm running out of title names… Another thing, I don't like this chapter to much… There's just something about it that bothers me… It could just be me though… I am also still looking for 3 beta-readers, though, maybe I don't need any? I don't know, I think I do because I might miss minor errors or something like that…

It seems that this is the second event of someone getting hurt- this time though, it really was Chelsea and not another. There are actually a lot of things going on… Vaughn seems to like Chelsea in some form- maybe… Elliot tells us that Mark does like Chelsea (not that we didn't know already), Denny is really Vaughn's friend, Lanna is considerate, Sabrina feels bad for what happened to Chelsea, and Shea—is being Shea… As for Mark, he forgot to lock his door to his house AND left his hammer there, knowing it would tempt Chelsea… He's so forgetful… As for the extent of Chelsea's injuries, Dr. Trent will explain that next chapter- I didn't want him chattering in this chapter…

As you can see, I skipped anything that happened on Monday, but, nothing important happened and Julia did somewhat say what went down basically. Nothing important happened on that day… And why is Vaughn still on the island? Well, he figured he might as well stay, it's almost Wednesday anyway- and to make sure that Chelsea really wasn't leaving… And now, here are the numbers (there's not a lot this time):

**(1)**_ …missing tools near Sabrina's house._: If you have seen the event 'Maverick' (Vaughn's purple heart event with Chelsea), you'll notice a fence in the background… There are only two places in East Town that has a fence- Sabrina's house and the hotel. The hotel would make more sense since Vaughn probably does stay there when he works (since there isn't an obvious place for him to be sleeping at in Mirabelle's shop). However, since in my story, Vaughn just came from the hotel, I decided to make the tools be near Sabrina's house… It could have dropped there, due to him going to the diner or heading towards the hotel… I don't know… The event in the game is nice, but that fence in the background bothers me… It makes me wonder about a lot of things…

**(2)** _'Fun Monday'_: I hate Mondays… It's the first day of classes, for work, and so on… It just- the day that seems to ruin everything after a long/great weekend. I would love to have my own 'Fun Monday', and I kind of do- sometimes... I actually dread Tuesdays more (I have a very busy schedule on that day- hardly any breaks). And, in my harvest moon game, I always give out everyone's favorite gift on Mondays… Excluding Vaughn- I give him stuff whenever I see him. ×D

**(3)** …_minor earthquakes_: As far as I know, they are actually called microearthquakes… But, come on, who would know that except archeologists and other people that are near rocks all day? Well, maybe some people do, I don't know… Anyway, if microearthquakes happened everyday in a certain area, the area would be completely destroyed already. Not to mention, the whole island (in this case- that area where the church is etc.), would be slowly shifting/drifting away from the 'rest' of the island (though it may take years for it occur). It would be like California- as far as I know… I could be wrong… I just added this as an excuse for the rocks that always seem to reappear on the floors in the game. I'm still kind of confused on how that happens… So, I made up a daily microearthquake to explain that mystery…

**(4)** … _make you green and big._: Dr. Trent was referring to the Hulk for those of you that don't know. As far as I can remember, Hulk was 'created' due to some sort of radiation… Of course, in real life radiation doesn't do that to you- unfortunately… Or maybe it's fortunate that it doesn't- it would mean there would be bad guys around too… Now, how would Dr. Trent know who Hulk is? I don't know… Maybe he's a fan of Marvel (wait, the Hulk is Marvel right? Not DC Comics I think… I forget…).

**_THANK YOU ALL FOR REVIEWING (And to those that read anonymously)!_**


	6. Chapter 5, Regret, Recovering, and Relax

**Chapter 5, Regret, Recovering, and Relaxing**

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**SPRING 11TH – WEDNESDAY**

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**Mark's POV**

_"I'm on my way Chelsea…"_

Elliot called me yesterday and told me that Chelsea was hurt. I was ready to jump onto the next ship to go back home immediately. Unfortunately for me, the ships in 'Forget-Me-Not Valley' stop running around 6PM. But, I was ready to jump into the water and swim there if I had to. Carter though, stopped me from acting foolish… He made me spend the night at his- 'house'. I guess he wanted to make sure that I wasn't going to jump in the sea… Though, for some reason, I think he thought I was trying to commit suicide- he kept asking me peculiar questions…

I was on the boat now, and I could see 'Sunshine Island' not too far from where I stood. I'm no navigator, but I knew we would land in at least 30 minutes or possibly less.

"_I should have never left… As soon as I leave, she ends up getting hurt…_"

Elliot didn't tell me how much she was hurt or anything like that, but, it didn't matter… She was still hurt- and I was feeling terrible for abandoning her… I really shouldn't have left, no matter how much Carter begged… Especially since that so called omen is supposed to be coming true…

"_And it seems to be…_" My conscience said.

I sighed. Even if the omen was real, I wouldn't let anything bad happen to Chelsea…

"_But you did…_" My conscience again said.

I couldn't respond to that… If I hadn't left, Chelsea would be okay right now… She wouldn't be hurt or anything…

"_As soon as I see her… I'll apologize to her…_"

I was really anxious to see her now.

* * *

**Chelsea's POV**

"_Where am I?_"

That was the first thing I thought before I opened my eyes. The first thing I saw was the blinding light. I blinked my eyes a few times to get the little light swirls out of my vision. After my focus came back, I looked around me.

The first strange thing I noticed was that someone was on another bed that was next to mine. I was confused.

"_What is a bed doing in a mine? And, what am I doing in a bed?_"

And then everything came back me- and I mean _everything_. The surprise I felt when I fell through the hole, my screams, and the horrible and shocking pain I felt when I landed on my arm… I tried to sit up, using both of my arms. But, that is when I felt a sharp pain in my right arm. I then looked at my arm and saw that it was covered in bandages. I used my left arm to touch it.

"_What happened to my arm!_"

"Ah! So, you're awake now?"

I turned my head towards the voice. And there stood- Dr. Trent?

"Dr. Trent?"

He nodded his head.

"That's me! But, let's get to the important details… How are you feeling?"

"… I don't know… Confused I guess…"

I actually had a major headache, and I felt a little pain all over my body… But, I felt the most pain in my right arm… It wasn't so painful that I needed to cry, it just kept stinging- like a bee would… But, it was like a ton of bees covered my whole arm and kept stinging me without resting.

"I meant how your arm is Chelsea…"

"It hurts like crap…"

"Hmm… Does it hurt a lot or a little? Can you describe your pain?"

"It hurts- in the middle? And it feels like I'm being stung constantly…"

"I understand… Well, that's good then! You don't need extreme pain killers to subdue the pain and it also means that it will heal properly- as long as you keep a sling on your arm that is…"

"A sling? I'm going to need one?"

He nodded his head in response.

"I'm afraid you're going to need to take a break from your ranch work for at least two weeks. The work is too harsh and could break your bones more, not giving them the chance to heal... So, you need to relax that arm for a while and drink anything that will help heal it. Anything that has vitamin D in it and calcium- milk and orange juice will do. It should speed up the healing process. Once I think the bone has healed enough, then I will schedule some simple exercises for your arm. If you do well on those, then I will permit you to get back to your work."

"But… If I can't work, who's going to take care of the animals?"

"Hmmm… Can't your boss do it? Or maybe even a friend of yours?"

I sighed. I already knew that Mark couldn't do it… It was the reason why he hired me in the first place- because he couldn't do all of the work by himself. If he couldn't do the work when there were only three animals to take care of in total. He definitely couldn't take care of half a barn filled with animals (some not fully grown yet), along with 4 chickens and the horse… As for my friends, I could only think of Julia that could possibly do my farm work to cover for me… But, she would do the animals at Mirabelle's shop, except on Wednesdays and Thursdays; I assume Vaughn does it on those days… But still, Julia will most likely be tired out…

"I'm afraid I don't have anybody to do my work…"

"Oh… Well, I'm sure there is somebody that can do it… Well, don't worry about that now, the answer will come when it's time…"

I sighed again.

"What time is it? How long have I been sleeping anyway?"

"It's almost 10 in the morning… You have been sleeping since yesterday…"

"Since yesterday!"

Dr. Trent nodded his head.

"Good thing too. It was easier for me to do an X-ray on your arm yesterday."

I sighed, once again.

"_Can this day get any worse?_"

"How did I get here anyway? I remember being in the mine…"

Dr. Trent coughed at my question.

"We-Well, I might as well let your worried boyfriend in… He already threaten to choke me 3 times since I wouldn't let him come see you unless you woke up…"

"Boyfriend? I don't have a boyfriend."

Dr. Trent coughed again, nervously.

"My mistake… He just seemed to act like… Never mind, I'll just let him in then…"

Dr. Trent walked over to the door and opened it. And there stood, Vaughn…? I figured the world must be ending somewhere if he came to visit me.

"_Did Dr. Trent mean Vaughn? But, how could he mistake him as my boyfriend?_"

My face turned red with the thought of Vaughn being my boyfriend… I considered him as a friend, maybe, but nothing more.

"_At least, I think so…_"

Vaughn glared at the doctor once before he entered the room. He looked at me, and I thought I saw him sigh in relief.

"Hey Vaughn…" I said weakly, with a smile on my face.

And then, he frowned at me. Well, his 'good mood' didn't last long.

"What were you doing in the mines?" He said through his teeth.

"I was mining, that is what a mine is for."

"You shouldn't have gone mining at all! You know how dangerous that mine is! With holes and quakes happening at the mountain! You wanted to die or something!" He snapped at me.

"Why are you getting angry with me! I don't even know what you are talking about! I wasn't told that there were holes and- quakes…? What quakes?"

Vaughn sighed through his nose, and I think he was trying to calm down.

"If you had of done your research, you would have known about the daily earthquakes that take place on the mountain. They usually occur around 6PM, sometimes a little earlier. That's why the miners leave the mountain early. And, you would have also known about the holes in the mine if you bothered doing any research."

I put my hand on my waist, which probably looked weird without my other hand to join it. I was angry with him now.

"For your information _cowboy_, I did do some research before I even went mining! I got the best information from Sabrina herself! It's not my fault that she forgot to mention the holes- or the earthquakes!"

He snorted through his nose.

"You still shouldn't have gone mining…"

"Oh Vaughn! Get off of her case!"

I looked towards the door and Julia was there, with a slice of cake in her hand on a plate. She walked towards the bed and sat on the edge of the bed.

"How are you Chelsea?"

"I _was_ fine until cowboy here ruined my mood!"

Vaughn mumbled under his breath and then left the room, leaving the door open. I saw Julia sigh.

"He's just like that… But, he really was worried about you Chelsea… You should have seen him last night. He wanted to stay in the room with you all night to make sure you were really okay. And this morning, he tried to choke Dr. Trent because he wouldn't let him into the room- well nobody really… Not to mention, Vaughn was the one that found you in the mine."

I looked at Julia in surprise.

"He found me?"

She nodded her head.

"Turns out that he was worried about your whereabouts more than me. Luckily he found you, or you would probably be dead. The rocks in the mine would have crushed you due to the earthquake…"

I looked back down at my arm. Compared to what could have happened to me, my arm injury seemed minor…

"I didn't know that… I wish he had of told me before he yelled at me… I would have thanked him properly…"

"Well… You still can. I bet he's out in the lobby or outside of the hotel. Want me to get him?"

I nodded my head in response.

Julia got up and walked over to the table. She put the cake on the table and then she left. I looked at the cake on the table, and I suddenly felt really hungry.

"_I want to eat the cake…_"

My stomach growled a bit. I guess I have to wait to eat it…

* * *

**Vaughn's POV**

"_Why did I do that?_" I asked myself, in my mind.

I was worried about Chelsea every since I found her at the mine yesterday, and yet… Why did I have to snap at her? I sighed to myself.

"_This is getting complicated… Maybe I should ask to be transferred to another place to transport animals before something else goes wrong…_"

I felt someone tap my shoulder. I almost jumped in surprise. I didn't realize that I was so lost within my thoughts… I turned to face the person, and I scowled at Julia.

"_Here we go with a lecture…_"

Julia just smiled at me.

"Chelsea wants to see you Vaughn."

"Huh?"

I didn't understand. I just snapped at her, why would she want me to come back into the room? Does she want me to snap at her? Not likely…

"Why does she want to see me?" I asked my cousin, giving her a suspicious look as well.

Her smile widened in response.

"Why don't you find out?"

"I don't like surprises."

She shrugged her shoulders.

"Then I guess you'll never find out what she wants."

I looked away from her and sighed in defeat.

"Guess I don't have much of a choice…"

I walked pass my cousin to enter the room once again. I could feel my cousin grinning at me from behind, but she didn't follow me… Thank the Goddess for that much…

Once I entered her room, Chelsea looked at me and smiled- as if an argument didn't occur between us just a few moments ago.

"What do you want?" I said as I closed the door behind me.

I spoke to her with my usual coldness… Guess I wasn't really in the mood to talk to her… I expected her to get mad, but she didn't…

"Julia told me that you found me in the mines…"

I suddenly felt nervous and embarrassed- or something like it…

"Y-Yeah… What of it?"

"Well… I wanted to thank you for doing that… If you haven't found me, I would be dead now… Thank you Vaughn…"

I said nothing… I wasn't use to being thanked or praised for anything… I have done a few kind acts throughout my life, but I was rarely thanked for them… I pulled down the tip of my hat and gave her one of my rare half-smiles.

"No problem."

I saw her smile widen and her eyes— I think they twinkled… I shook my head slightly.

"_I'm seeing things…_"

"So… How did you find me anyway? I never told anyone where I went."

I saw her hand pat an empty area on the bed. She wanted me to sit- next to her on the bed? Usually nobody wants me even near them, let alone sitting next to them.

"_She really is strange…_"

"_But in a good way._" My conscience responded.

I took up her offer before I could back out or just leave… She was making me feel- emotions I don't usually feel… I wasn't sure if I liked them or not yet…

"I-I ah… I learned from Charlie that you went to the mansion to ask about the mines… And then from Sabrina, she told me she last saw you at the mine…"

I frowned at my words.

"According to her, she said that she told you how to mine. Didn't she tell you about the holes or the earthquakes?"

I saw Chelsea shook her head. I balled up one of my hands into a fist. How could a damn _expert_ forget to mention the holes or the earthquakes that could take place at a mine!

"If I ever see her…"

I saw Chelsea face change into a sad expression.

"Don't blame her Vaughn… She seems to be the sort of person that doesn't have— confidence in herself... She probably just forgot to mention it to me. I did practically drag her there to the mine… It's mostly my fault really…"

I saw her look down at her injured arm and she said nothing. A somewhat awkward silence fell between us. I didn't know what to say to her… I didn't think it was her fault, it's not like she was forbidden to enter the mine. And she didn't go inside of the mine without finding out information about it first. So, in my own mind, it was that other girl's fault, not Chelsea. And if I did ever see that other girl again, I would make sure to give her a piece of my mind.

"I'm sorry…"

It took me a moment to realize that I said those two words out loud… Something I never, if ever, say…

"_What is wrong with me!_"

"Sorry? For what Vaughn?"

"For… Yelling at you before… I shouldn't have done that…"

I felt something soft touch the upper part of my arm. I felt a small shiver go throughout my body. It wasn't a goose bump type of shiver, it was- something else entirely… I looked at my arm and realized that it was Chelsea's hand. It looked so- small… I looked at her face, with my eyes open wide in surprise. The only person that would do that would be my aunt, when she was trying to calm me down- like some mothers would do to their own children… Nobody else did such an action to me… I felt my heart pump faster than normal… What is she doing to me?

"It's okay Vaughn… You had every right to yell at me… I shouldn't have gone into the mine at all… I should have waited until Mark came back and went with him."

At the mention of his name, I shook her hand off of my arm and stood up from the bed. I didn't leave the room; I just turned away from her. Every time that rancher's name escaped from her lips- something within me made me want to hurt that guy… Or something else…? I decided that I would think about it some other time...

"Yeah… That would have been the right thing to do…"

I imagined her smiling at my response… I was beginning to like those smiles of hers…

"So… What is that cake for? Is it my get well cake or something?"

I looked at the table and saw what she was talking about.

"No. It's my aunt's birthday today… Julia decided to bring a slice over for you so that you could eat it whenever you got up…"

"Oh… Tell Mirabelle that I said 'Happy Birthday' to her."

"I won't need to. She said she'll visit you herself as soon as she heard that you are awake… Probably where Julia is heading now…"

I turned to face her again.

"That's nice of her…"

Before I could try to come up with something else to talk about- the doctor came back into the room. He looked at me, and I think he flinched at the sight of me. I wasn't sure…

"Oh… You're still here… You're not going to threaten to choke me again are you?"

I shook my head at him.

"Good… Now Chelsea, I'm sure you would like to know the extent of the damages to your arm?"

I saw her nod her head. I wasn't sure if I should be in the room, so I got ready to leave, but Chelsea stopped me.

"It's okay Vaughn. You can stay and listen if you want."

"I think he should… Anything to calm him down…" I heard the doctor say, though he said the last sentence a little more quietly.

I didn't bother glaring at the doctor; I just turned my attention to Chelsea instead.

"Anyway… You have what we doctors would call a comminuted fracture. In other words, the humerus bone is broken into more than two pieces. It has multiply cracks and is broken in more than one place… Uh, like a puzzle if you will…"

"Where is my humerus bone at again?"

I chuckled and pointed at the lower part of her arm.

"That is where the humerus is located."

"Oh…" She said in response.

I felt like the doctor looked at me in surprise.

"Why, yes! He's right…!" He said, clearly shock in his voice.

It was obvious that I would know- I take care of animals, true. But, sometimes a person can get hurt because of animals. Therefore, during my training for the job, I had to learn basic first-aid skills and studied at least the basic human parts- especially the bones…

"Well… As I said before Chelsea, you'll be fine! The rest of your arm should be okay. Just eat and drink anything that would help the bone regenerate what was lost."

I could hear scribbling, probably the doctor writing down notes or something.

"Now, have you figured out who could help you with your work?"

I responded to his question without thinking it through.

"I'll help her… At least on Wednesdays and Thursdays… I'm sure her- partner will help her during the week… If I am ever off of work, even when I am not supposed to be on the island, I'll make sure to come and help her."

The doctor nodded his head in approval and scribbled down on his clipboard.

"Very good! Now, if the pain in your arm gets very serious, feel free to let me know and I'll prescribe special medication for it."

She nodded her head, though she was looking at me in shock. And I had a feeling I already knew why she was… I heard the door open and then close again- the doctor obviously left the room… Leaving Chelsea and me alone again…

"You… You volunteered to help me?"

I was hoping my face didn't turn red. I didn't really think what I said through; not even about what I wanted to say… But, what's done is done…

"Yeah…. Unless, you don't want me to."

She shook her head and waved her one good hand as if to scatter her somewhat minor offensive comment away.

"N-No! I appreciate your help! A lot, believe me! It's just that… I didn't think you would volunteer on your own…"

"And why wouldn't I?"

"I don't know… I just thought… Forget what I said…"

I decided not to push her any further about the issue. I put one hand into my pocket, and took out something that belonged to her. As soon as she saw her red bandanna, she smiled and laughed happily.

"My bandanna! You found it!"

I nodded and started to put it on her head. In my own mind, I was doing it because she couldn't do it with one hand… But my hands… I was doing the whole thing as slow as I could instead of quickly… When I was tying it around her head, my fingers (my gloves are fingerless) gently and lightly grazed over her warm and soft cheeks first before they headed towards the back of her head to tie the thing in a knot. But, during the whole thing, I was looking at her face intently. I just- couldn't stop looking at her… She didn't even look at me until my fingers touched her cheeks in that form… Even after I finished tying the bandanna around her head, we still looked at each other- as if we have never seen each other before… Or to be more accurate, as if we were seeing each other for the very first time, but in a different light… It's hard to describe… It was like a bright light was shining down on her and only I could see it…

I was about to look into her eyes, deep within them to see what was there- but that was when the door was slammed open.

"CHELSEA! ARE YOU OKA-"

I looked away from her. I knew who the voice belonged to, and I decided it was best for me to leave. I didn't want to be in the room with _him_ being there. I walked pass the stupid guy and left the room. I heard Chelsea say, 'Goodbye.' To me, but I didn't bother responding… She was already doing something to me… And I didn't know what she was doing to me…

* * *

**Mark's POV**

I was frozen to the spot. I don't know what happened between Vaughn and Chelsea before I practically busted into the room, but I didn't like it. I only saw a mere second of their- staring? I don't know what to call it… I just know that I didn't like it… Something about it bothered me… I decided to ponder about it later. I smiled at Chelsea.

"Chelsea… Are you okay?"

She looked away from the door where Vaughn left and focused her attention on me… I think I woke her up from some daze…

"I'm fine Mark."

I walked over to her bed, looking at her with my worried expression. I saw her arm and I was worried even more.

"Chelsea… What happened?"

She looked down at the sheets covering her, as if she was ashamed to tell me.

"I broke my arm… But, Dr. Trent said that it would heal normally…"

I then realized that she was hiding the truth of what happened.

"Chelsea…"

She looked at me from the corner of her eyes and sighed sadly.

"I went mining and got hurt…" She said in a low voice.

I just stood there in shock. I couldn't believe that Chelsea would basically defy an order from- me! I'm her partner and I know more about the island then she does! Why would she do that!

"Ar-are you going to fire me for not listening to you? I-I wouldn't blame you if you do…" She said, lower then her last statement.

I instead smiled at her lightly and chuckled.

"I'm not mad at you Chelsea, and I won't fire you. I would have to be a fool to do that. Besides…"

I patted her shoulder lightly.

"It's my own fault. I forgot to bring the hammer with me because I knew about your curious nature. All of this would have been prevented if I did that… Though, I do wonder, how did you get into my house?"

She smiled at me, obviously glad that I didn't even yell at her… Not that I could, she just doesn't deserve that kind of treatment.

"You left your door unlocked."

I smacked my forehead with the palm of my hand.

"Of course!"

She laughed at my stupidity. I didn't mind it one bit… I think she needed a bit of cheering up.

"You're so forgetful Mark! You're lucky there isn't a thief around here!"

I shrugged my shoulders.

"Yeah, I am. I guess you're going to have to remind me to lock my doors whenever I leave."

She shook her head, and giggled again.

"_She has the most beautiful laugh…_"

"_You think her eyes are beautiful too, but they seem to be on another. Here's a clue- they're not on you.**(1)**_" My conscience said to me.

That statement made the smile on my face wipe off, and I almost frowned- but I managed to make my face blank instead… I quickly said something before Chelsea could notice my sudden change of expression.

"So, how long would it take for your arm to heal?"

"Dr. Trent said that I couldn't do work for at least two weeks. So, I guess my arm will be healed within that time- possibly even an extra week…"

"T-Two weeks?"

She nodded her head.

"_Great… Now I'm in trouble… I promised the mayor that there will be a higher production of animal products by next season… But with Chelsea like this… What am I going to do!_"

"Mark? What's wrong? You suddenly look- very afraid or worried…"

"Huh? Oh… It's nothing…!"

She gave me a stern look- a look that would make me run for the hills.

"Mark…"

I sighed in defeat. I wasn't crazy enough to go against her glare…

"Chelsea… I told you that I hired you because there was too much farm work…"

She nodded her head.

"Well… That is only partially the truth… You see, it's true that I needed help… But, notice that you are only taking care of the animals… And before you got here- there were only 3 in total…"

She nodded her head again, and it looked like she was beginning to understand where I might be going with the conversation.

"I was doing fine for a while … But then, I got a letter from the mayor from the city… And he wanted more animal products to be produced from my farm or he would quit doing business with me and anyone else on the island… And that would mean people would leave the island… And-"

"And you hired me so that something like that wouldn't happen…"

I nodded my head sadly. I wanted to tell her that I hired her because I wanted a partner- her being the best and only partner I want to have! But, I remained silent instead, and I didn't dare look at her… Or at least, I tried to not look at her, I did anyway. And to my surprise, she didn't look upset.

"Mark, I think it's very thoughtful of you… You really care about the residents here… I respect that."

She sounded very honest, and she made my face turn red… I'm beginning to realize that she is making me do that a lot lately… I saw her look towards the table.

"I want some of that cake there…"

I also looked at the table, sure enough; there was a slice of cake there.

"_Is it someone's birthday today?_"

I thought about it, but the answer came to me almost instantly.

"_It's Mirabelle's birthday today… I'll make sure to give her something later today…_"

I walked over to the table, took the plate, and walked back over to the bed. I took a seat on an empty spot on Chelsea's bed. I saw her look at the cake, and then she looked at her arm. Her cheeks puffed out and she pouted… If my both of my hands were empty, I would have squeezed both of her cheeks to empty out the air- and then laugh at her slight angry, but cute, expression she would make afterwards.

"Oh! I can't eat with my left hand! I'm going to have trouble doing a lot of things now that I think about it…" She said.

I looked down at the cake and then back at her face.

"Do you want me to help you?" I asked her.

"Help me? You mean, feed me?"

I didn't think of it like that, but when it was broken down, she was right.

"Y-yeah… I guess you can say that… I don't mean it as an insult. I- I just want to-"

She laughed at me.

"I know what you mean Mark…! Yeah, I don't mind you _feeding_ me. Just don't miss my mouth."

I knew she was joking about missing her mouth, but for some reason, her statement made me blush. I went back to the table to get a clean spoon, most likely left there for the tea, and then I went back over to Chelsea.

"Open wide." I said with a smile.

She giggled and then she opened her mouth. I used the spoon to take a little piece of the cake and I put the spoon in her mouth- making sure that I didn't hit her nose or anything…**_(2)_** I kept repeating the process of feeding her… And during the whole time, my eyes focused just on her- mouth… My thoughts lingered… I couldn't help but think she looked very… I want to say 'cute', but that word doesn't seem to fit…

"_You think she looks- sexy would be the word._" My stupid, _evil_, conscience thought.

As much as I hated using that derogatory word, it did- fit into the current situation… I always thought that word was offensive to woman. I don't mind saying beautiful or cute to describe a woman… But that 's' word, I never liked it. The word sounded like it was made up by some perverted person! And, I don't think such a word should be used, not by me… I know I'm not perverted…

"_Liar! Then why did your mind wander to 'not-so-innocent' thoughts a moment ago!_" My conscience countered.

I hate my conscience…

Without even knowing it, she had finished the whole cake. I was- disappointed that she finished so soon… I may hate my conscience, but it was right- to a small degree… I then noticed that she was giving me this odd look.

"Mark… What's wrong with you?"

I gave her a confused look.

"What do you mean?"

"When you were… Feeding me… You were looking at me very- oddly… Are you okay? Your face expression kind of frightened me…"

I swallowed a sudden lump in my throat.

"_Are my thoughts that obvious?_"

"It was nothing!" I said a little too quickly.

"I-ah… I was just- thinking about a lot of things at once was all…"

I could tell that she didn't believe me completely, but I was glad that she accepted my explanation anyway.

"_I've got to stop making my thoughts so obvious…_"

The door to the room was opened, making me slightly glad that there was a distraction to get my mind off of- a few things… We both looked towards the door in unison, and there stood Sabrina… And she looked troubled. Before I could ask what was wrong, she walked up to the bed and looked at Chelsea with a depressed expression- it looked like she was going to cry. I saw a few tears fall down Sabrina's face.

"_Correction… She is crying…_"

"Ch-Chelsea… I'm _so_ sorry… I didn't mean for you to get hurt like this… I shouldn't have…"

She stopped talking and more tears fell down her face. I was ready to comfort her first, but Chelsea beat me to it.

" It's not your fault Sabrina. It's my fault because I wasn't supposed to go mining anyway. I was supposed to wait for Mark to show me…"

I sighed.

"And I already told you it's not your fault Chelsea. That it was mine for forgetting to take the hammer and for- forgetting to lock my door…"

I saw Sabrina smile, just a little.

"You two are too kind…"

I saw her look down, still looking sad. I heard Chelsea sigh, and I almost mimicked her. I have known Sabrina for a while. And she is the type of person that would blame herself before anyone else, and even if someone corrected her that it wasn't her fault or own doing, she would still think that it is… Well, at least that is what I think of her… I noticed something was in Sabrina's hand, and then Chelsea noticed at the same time as I did.

"What's that in your hand?" She asked Sabrina.

"I-I am into natural herbs and plants… Things of that sort… And, since I heard from Dr. Trent that your injury is bone related, I figured I bring you this…"

She handed the item to Chelsea, and she held it with her left hand- with difficulty I should add… It was a white bottle, with the words, 'MSM' on it**_(3)_**. There were words under the 'MSM', most likely what it stands for, but I couldn't read it…

"MSM?" Chelsea said, obviously not knowing what it is.

I didn't know what it was either, so I was just as eager to know what the letters meant- or what this herb could do.

"It will help your bones regenerate at a reasonable rate. It's supposed to help aching joints and other things that are bone related… So, I figured this will help you… It would be best to take it with something very sweet- like juice… If you try to take that with water, it would taste very bitter and it would make you want to- get sick… Just follow the directions in the back of how much you should take and you'll be fine… I also gave the same thing to Natalie…"

Chelsea smiled at her.

"Thank you Sabrina. This is so thoughtful of you."

Chelsea patted Sabrina's back with her good hand (though she still held the bottle) lightly. Sabrina smiled back, but then she looked depressed again.

"I should be thoughtful… It is my fault…"

Chelsea and I sighed at the same time.

"I already told you that it's not your fault…" Chelsea said to her.

Sabrina said nothing for a few seconds, but then she did- and I wish she didn't…

"Not according to Vaughn…"

I felt my eye twitch in annoyance.

"_It can't be good if his name is being spoken…_"

"What do you mean…?" I asked her, saying it as calmly as I could- even though I didn't feel that way at the moment.

"He… He…"

Sabrina began to cry. I couldn't help but frown, and I felt my eyes burn with fury. Vaughn was beginning to just piss me off. And I rarely get pissed off about anything- not even when someone does wrong to me… But, that guy has been pushing my patients for too long!

"He did what, Sabrina?" I asked again, my voice sounding flat.

I saw Chelsea look at me with concern and surprise, knowing that the tone that escaped from my mouth wasn't my usual optimistic tone, but I ignored her expression. I was already angry, and it's hard for me to calm down once I'm determined about something.

"He… yelled at me… When I was on my way here… He and I bumped into each other on the road and he… He started yelling at me… Screaming at me that it was my fault that Chelsea was hurt and then he called me a moron because I forgot to mention about the holes in the mine… And then he…"

Sabrina cried even harder, even though she had difficulty talking about what happened with Vaughn before. Talking through her sobs and her voice breaking once or twice every sentence.

I stood up from the bed, with both of my hands tightened into fists. I had enough of his rudeness! I was ready to storm out of the room to go look for the disrespectful man, but Chelsea's voice stopped me.

"Mark… What are you going to do?"

I didn't look at her; I didn't want her to see my face… Because, she then would know what I was about to do… I heard her sigh.

"I already told him that it wasn't your fault, and he still yells at you anyway…" She said, obviously to Sabrina.

That only made me more pissed off.

"_The jerk! How could he yell at a gentle person like Sabrina! Is there something wrong with that man!_"

"Mark… You didn't answer my question…"

And that time, her voice sounded more like she demanded to know what I was about to do…

With difficulty, I calmed down, just a little…

"Don't worry Chelsea… I'm only going to talk to him…"

I knew she didn't believe me, I didn't hear her sigh in relief or something behind me. But, I didn't bother staying any longer… I left the room. I was determined to find that- _jerk_, and make him apologize! I will talk to him, but if words don't work… I don't mind using physical force either…

* * *

**Denny's POV**

I looked at my unexpected visitor, still surprised that this person would visit me. My visitor was across from me, with only my big pot between us. There was soup inside of it, being heated up at the moment. I couldn't wait to eat it, but I wasn't so sure about…

"Eh… I don't know what you like to eat, but, you want any of my soup Vaughn?"

Yeah… My unexpected visitor is Vaughn. He never comes by my shack… Not for any reason... Sure, he hangs out at the beach and would be near my shack because it's just there… But, he never went inside of my shack before. So, when he came to visit me out of the blue- I thought he was some other guy that just happened to dress like Vaughn- with white and silver-ish hair…

Okay, I'm nervous as hell with him here in my shack! Nobody would just not ever visit your place, and then suddenly visit you out of the blue! It's just too damn weird! So, yeah, I kept my distance from him… I wasn't sure why he was here yet…

"Are there carrots inside of that?"

I shook my head.

"It has nothing in it but fish and some mushrooms I found."

I saw him snort in disgust. He obviously didn't like something I said.

"You don't like mushrooms?"

"The mushrooms are fine; it's the fish that bothers me."

I shrugged my shoulders.

"Don't hate it until you try it." I said to him.

He didn't respond to that, he just looked down at the pot… He looked- occupied about something…

"So… I know I'm going to sound rude but… Why are you here Vaughn? Seriously, this is creeping me out…"

He looked at me from under his hat, though his face expression was blank. So, I couldn't determine what was going through his mind… He made me feel like I said something very wrong... But, I was really curious why he would visit me…

"_Maybe I shouldn't have invited him inside of my house…_"

I saw him look back down at the pot and then he asked me a question.

"Why do you stay here on the island, Denny?"

I couldn't help but look at him like he was stupid. I thought my reason for staying here on the island was obvious to me and to everyone else… Vaughn must be- really lost in thought or something...

"I stay here on the island because I want to catch new fish." I answered without difficulty.

He said nothing for at least a minute, making me feel nervous… Which is weird, I'm hardly ever nervous about anything… Well, expect that time when-

"Is that the only reason…?"

That question caught me by surprise.

"_My only reason…?_"

I was confused now. What exactly was he trying to ask me? Of course it was the only reason!

"_No it's not…_" My conscience said to me.

I thought about Vaughn's question again… And realized that my conscience was right… Fishing wasn't the _only_ reason of why I wanted to stay on the island… In fact, now that I thought about it… Fishing wasn't even the reason of why I stayed on the island for so long… If it wasn't for the peaceful environment and the nice people I would have left long ago. Fishing is exciting and all but, it wasn't what kept me here for so long…

"_Lanna…_"

Lanna… Yeah… If it wasn't for Lanna, the one person that I cherish more than my hobby of fishing, I would have left long ago- despite the serene environment and the polite people…

I have been thinking about Lanna a lot lately… And recently (and before then), I just like being around her. I just enjoy her presence! And there are days when I just want to hear her voice, at least once through my day… No, correction, I _must_ hear her voice at least once through my day. I must see, hear, and speak to her at least once before my day ends. And if I don't, I feel- alone or empty…

I looked at Vaughn, and I saw that he was looking back at me, waiting for an answer. I don't know what my face revealed while I was thinking of those things, but I didn't bother caring much. I know knew what he was trying to ask me, I had a feeling that he was- beginning to feel that same feeling I did... And, I had an idea of what caused them, but I thought it was best to not ask him…

I lightly smiled at him, as any friend would do, and said, "No Vaughn… It's not the only reason…"

He looked back down at the pot, the soup now bubbling. And, though he did the action very smooth-like and it was hardly noticeable, he nodded his head. I wasn't sure if he nodded his head due to approval or due to understanding to my words, it was hard to tell. I decided that maybe, it was for both reasons…

I was about to try to talk to him, asking him something in return, but that is when I heard knocking on my door.

"Wow… I'm getting a lot of visitors today." I said jokingly, going back to my silly manner.

Vaughn just shook his head, though I saw a hint of a smirk on his face. I looked towards the door and yelled, "The door is open!"

The door opened, just a little, and someone slipped inside. The first thing I noticed was the spiky blonde hair coming out of a cap.

"Hey Mark." I greeted to him with a smile.

He looked at me with a small smile on his face.

"Hey Denny… I'm sorry to barge in, but, have you seen-"

And then he stopped. It took me a moment to realize that he wasn't looking at me- he was looking beside me.

And that is when all hell broke loose…

"Why… Why did you do that Vaughn?" Mark said through gritted teeth, with his hands becoming fists at the same time.

He looked very- angry… He looked like he was about to kill somebody… I just moved far away from both the pot and the entrance where Mark still stood. I saw Vaughn get angry just as quick.

"Do what, rancher?" He said with the same bitter and angry tone that Mark gave him.

"Why did you yell at Sabrina! Are you out of your mind or something! What has she done to deserve such angry words from you!" Mark yelled.

I saw Vaughn scowl at Mark.

"She deserved it because she didn't tell Chelsea about the dangers of the mine! How the hell could she consider herself an expert in that area if she forgets to mention about the dangers of the mine!" Vaughn yelled back.

I didn't like where the conversation might lead to, so I tried to stop it…

"Guys… Let's talk about this in a little more- civilized manner…"

But of course, both ignored me and continued to look at each other with so much hate… Their hatred for each other, was suffocating me…

"She never said she was an expert in anything! Just because her father owns a mining company, it doesn't mean that she is an expert in the field! She works hard all day, and you just yell at her!"

"She works hard all day! Doing what! Reading damn books all day! Oh-boo-fucking-who!"

"_Uh oh… Vaughn just swore- really bad… This can't be good…_"

I again tried to calm them down, but my voice was drowned out…

"I guess she's not reading enough! Apparently she's stupid! Maybe she really can't read and pretends to!" Vaughn continued.

I heard a growl. I thought it came from Vaughn, because it's just like him to do that… But, I was surprised when I realized that it came from Mark… This was _really_ turning bad…

"Don't say such mean things about someone you don't even know! Chelsea already told you that it wasn't Sabrina's fault!"

"Oh! So, whose fault is it then! A damn ghost!"

Vaughn was being sarcastic now, but it still sounded mean…

"It doesn't matter whose fault it is! I demand that you apologize to her!"

And then, I heard something so unexpected, that it threw me off guard…! Vaughn- laughed! Not laughed as in cheerful or anything of that sort… It was a laugh that was meant to be mocking and just- cruel…

"You want me to apologize to someone that caused harm to another! For doing something that I know what I did was right! You must be out of your damn fucking mind rancher! Go jump into the sea, and take your 'rights' with you!"

If I didn't know Mark, I would have sworn that it wasn't him that I was seeing standing in front of my door… His eyes… They looked like they went- far away… And I don't mean that in a good way…

"Why you selfish, immoral, and cruel bastard!-"

"_Not good! Now Mark is going there!_"

"If you won't apologize voluntarily, then I will-"

I had enough. At that point, I was in front of Mark, stopping him just in time from doing something stupid- or trashing my place up. I don't know how I got in front of him, but I must have been moving unconsciously without even knowing it.

I frowned at him, making him stop in his tracks. I wasn't having this nonsense going on in my shack- even if it is a dump.

"Mark… I want you to leave…" I said to him in a serious tone.

He looked at me and I could see that his frown was loosening just a little. But, I somehow knew that he would do something rash to try to get to Vaughn anyway- by going around me… I held my frown and my eyes focused into his, burning down his resolve.

There was no way that I was going to let him go through with his actions- neither was I going to let him win this 'staring' contest. I have traveled around more than enough to know how to win, and I have done my own fair share…

I could see that Mark was trying to win, but he finally gave up with an almost silent sigh.

"Sure Denny… I'll leave…"

He darkly glared at Vaughn once more, and then he left my shack- closing the door quietly behind him- surprisingly… I had a feeling that Mark would be mad at me for the next few days, since I prevented him from hitting Vaughn. But, he'll thank me later…

I looked at Vaughn with a sigh.

"What was that all about?"

He did his usual, 'Hmph! None of your business!' act. I mentally rolled my eyes.

"It seems that Mark was mad at you for yelling at Sabrina…"

Vaughn didn't look at me, but I could tell that he was getting ready to just leave my place. He's my friend and I know I sound like I am lecturing him- or about too... But, I wanted to state my opinion to him at least; he doesn't have to listen to it or follow it.

"Vaughn… Sabrina is a very- gentle-like and shy person… I don't know her too well, but, when she comes to the beach; she avoids even talking to me…"

He said nothing. I sighed and regretted what I was about to say to him…

"I think you should apologize to her… Yelling doesn't fix the problem, Chelsea still has a broken arm, and the bad event already passed… I mean, you did all that you could by-"

"Are you telling me, that you are taking Mark's side?"

I could practically hear the anger coming out of his throat- and possibly something else… I don't know, it's hard for me to think right now…

"I'm not exactly taking his side... I just think you should apologize to Sabrina because… You know, Chelsea did say that it wasn't her fault… I mean, you probably made her feel guiltier then she is already…"

I heard a scowl come from him and he walked passed me without a word. I heard my door open and then slammed behind me.

I sighed to myself, feeling a headache coming to me.

"_Great… Now I have two people angry at me…_"

I sighed sadly at the thought, and silently hoped my day would get better.

* * *

**Chelsea's POV**

I was on the ranch, trying to do my job- with only my left arm… My right arm of course was wrapped up with multiply bandages and it was in an arm sling to keep it levitated. I know Dr. Trent said not to do any ranch work, but I think he only meant with my right arm… Even if he meant that I shouldn't be working at all, as long as I don't use my right arm, I'll be fine- right?

I was able to feed Dash and brush him with no problem… And, I was able to feed the chickens, pet them, talk to them, and get the eggs that were lying around… But, the animals in the barn were another matter…

Even though I could feed, brush, and pet them with ease… I had a hard time trying to milk the one single adult cow there…

I sighed to myself.

"_Where is Vaughn? He promised he would help me… Well, he volunteered that he would help me…_"

It's strange that I would think of Vaughn helping me and not Mark… Not that he won't help me… But, those two don't get along too well… I sighed to myself.

The cow was mooing at me, expecting me to milk it. And, I think the cow felt my stress, it looked a little upset- or worried. I smiled lightly at the cow and patted its head.

"It's okay girl… I'm fine…"

The cow mooed, but it didn't seem to believe me. I chuckled a little… And then I thought maybe I should sing to soothe her… I didn't know what to sing though… I know a lot of songs… But, the one song that came into my mind was a song that I heard from a video game I use to play… I started to hum the song to her**_(4)_**… I didn't remember the words; they were fuzzy in my head, but the theme I knew pretty well…

After a few minutes went by, the cow did calm down enough and I was relaxing as well- too relaxed to notice that someone was listening to me humming…

"You sound nice Chelsea; I have to wonder what you would sound like when you actually sing."

I yelped in surprise before I turned to face Mark, embarrassment clearly on my face.

"Y-You heard me…?"

He just smiled in reply.

"Yeah. But, you sounded good. So, don't worry about it."

I still felt embarrassed. I don't like an audience hearing me hum or sing… I'm slightly shy in that area…

"You need help Chelsea? I think it would be kind of hard to milk a cow with one hand."

"I'm grateful Mark, but Vaughn already volunteered to help me."

I saw him shudder a little and the pupils in his eyes seemed to shrink, as if he was angry. But, I wasn't sure if what I saw was really there- because he was back to his normal self.

"Oh! Well, that's- great, Chelsea…!"

The smile he gave me was forced- I knew. I then remembered that he went to go 'talk' to Vaughn a little earlier.

"Mark…"

Before I could ask him about it, he looked at me sadly, and then he looked down at the ground. And oddly, some unknown shadow covered his eyes, so I couldn't get an idea what he might be thinking.

"Chelsea… When I came to see you… I was wondering… What was Vaughn doing there?"

I didn't even blink, though I felt a little concerned. I figured he would know because he went to talk to Vaughn- right?

"He was concerned about me. He was the one that found me in the mine."

Mark's head snapped up and he looked surprised.

"He- found you?"

I nodded.

"Yeah. He was looking for me. According to Julia, he tried to stay with me the whole night to make sure that I was okay."

I couldn't help but giggle a little before I said, "And she also said that he threatened to choke Dr. Trent because he wouldn't let him see me."

Mark just looked at me, and I couldn't decipher the expression on his face. Was he surprised? Angry? Disappointed? Confused?

"Really…?"

He looked down at the ground and then he said, in such a low voice that I had to lean forward to hear him, "That wasn't all I saw Chelsea… What was that…"

He stopped, as if he was hesitating to continue. I didn't know what he was talking about. I saw him visibly swallow some sudden lump in his throat.

"What I'm trying to say is… What was that- staring I saw? Why was he staring at you…?"

I suddenly felt a lump in my own throat. I, truthfully, don't know what to say about that silent exchange we had… When it happened, it was as if I was seeing him for the first time… And I remember my heart beating hard in my chest. I wanted to look _into_ his eyes- but that was when Mark busted into the room… So, I didn't get the chance to.

"Chelsea?"

I remained silent; I didn't want to share something like that… I wasn't quite sure what it meant myself…

Lucky for me that I didn't have to… I heard the door to the barn open, with the door making a creaking sound. Mark and me looked towards the door at the same time, and it was the person I was expecting to appear.

I heard someone scowl, and I thought it came from Vaughn- but I was surprised to realize it came from Mark. Vaughn didn't know Mark was there until he looked up from under his hat. Before Vaughn could say anything, Mark quickly left the barn.

Vaughn scowled after his retreating figure before he looked at me, with a blank expression.

"I didn't mean to be late… I didn't think you would start so soon…"

I just shook my head at him.

"It's okay. At least it's better to be late, then to not come at all."

He did his half-smile at me and then he tipped his hat a bit.

"I'll do that."

He was obviously indicating the milker in my hand. I gladly gave it to him and he started to do his part, with his back to me. I was just watching him, and then I bit my bottom lip as a thought came to me.

"Vaughn… What happened between Mark and you?"

I saw Vaughn froze, stopping his work altogether. I heard him sigh, and then he went back to his work.

"Why are you asking? Didn't you ask him?"

I shook my head, before I remembered that he couldn't see me.

"No…"

"Why not? If you are so concerned." He said with bitter.

I pouted.

"Well, there is no reason for you to get annoyed with me. I was just asking."

"Well ask him!" He snapped at me, facing me this time.

He turned away from me quickly and went back to work. I held back my anger and sighed through my nose instead. I wasn't in the mood to get into a fight with him- I just came from the 'Hotel', I didn't need anything else to ruin my day…

On a whim, I decided to tell him what I thought he should do, that Mark probably didn't accomplish with him.

"I think you should…. Apologize to Sabrina Vaughn… I told you it wasn't her fault."

I heard him growl, but he didn't face me.

"I thought you said that you didn't know what happened."

"I'm just taking a guess…"

"Well, as I told him, I'm not going to apologize for something that I did that I think is right."

"You _think_ is right? Are you telling me you're not sure?"

"Don't ponder on specific words! You know very well what I mean!"

I sighed.

"Well… If you must be angry at someone, you should be with me…"

I heard him scowl; he was obviously getting annoyed with me.

"The reason why I say that is because… Well, Mark told me not to go to the mines before he went to the valley… So, it's technically my entire fault that I did anyway and got myself hurt… So, you should be mad at me…"

I saw him froze, once again. He turned his head, only a little, towards me. I only could see one of his eyes looking at me.

"Well, aren't you going to scold me for being stupid!"

I lost my own patience with him, when it should have been _him_ losing his patients first. He then stood up, I guess he was done with his work, and walked towards me.

I braced myself for his expected anger. But, he instead shoved the milker into my one good arm and walked passed me. I heard the barn door open and close behind me.

I sighed and put the milker back into my not-empty rucksack. I walked over to where the gallons of milk were, and started to put them into the shipping bin- one by one, very slowly…

* * *

**Vaughn's POV**

"_I can't believe she made me look- stupid!_"

Well, that wasn't entirely true… I still thought that Sabrina was at some sort of fault for Chelsea's injury- since she didn't mention the dangerous things about the mine.

"_And, to top it all off, Chelsea wants me to apologize to her too! Is everyone against me today!_"

I wasn't going to apologize to the weird girl, no matter what anyone says.

"_Oh yes you are. Because this time, Chelsea asked you too..._"

I ignored my conscience and pushed that thought as far back as I could in my mind. I wasn't going to apologize, even if someone begged me to…

I was ready to leave the property of the ranch, but that was when I intercepted by Mark… I immediately gave him my most vicious growl I could muster- I wasn't in the mood for his nonsense!

"Move rancher…! I got things to do!"

Truthfully, I was done with my work earlier, before I went back to see Chelsea when she was at the hotel still. I may have rushed with my work this morning… Another thing I don't do… But, I did a good job overall.

"Chelsea told me that you- found her at the mines…"

"Yeah, what about it!"

He said nothing in response. I was about to just go around him, but that was when he decided to speak again- of course…

"I wanted to say- thanks for looking for her…"

I just grunted at his words. I then noticed that his face didn't hold anger towards me, nor was it serious. He looked almost- depressed? But then, it quickly changed into a serious expression.

"I also heard that you volunteered to help Chelsea."

I somehow suspected that there was more to this conversation than him coming up to me to say 'thanks'- there is always a catch.

"But, there is no need for you to anymore. I will help Chelsea every morning and then I will do my own work. So, you don't need to come by here anymore."

"Hmph! It's not your choice to 'dispose' of my help. It's Chelsea's choice. If she doesn't want my help anymore, then I will gladly stop helping her."

He frowned at me.

"It is my choice. In case you haven't noticed, this is _my_ property. And I have every right to throw you off of it or to not allow you to come here."

He had me there… I also noticed, that this conversation wasn't really about me helping Chelsea or not… I think he didn't want me near Chelsea- at all.

"_So… He wants to go there huh…? Fine, I just won't come near her anymore. She can come to me if she needs me._"

The rancher was obviously jealous of me or something. Though, why would he be? Doesn't Chelsea- _like_ this stupid rancher! I pushed back any other thoughts to the far regions of my mind.

"Hmph! Fine, I won't come here to help anymore."

I saw him slightly nod in satisfaction. The cocky bastard!

I walked around him, but then I stopped just behind him and I smirked before I said, "But you got of explaining to do with Chelsea."

I didn't see his reaction to my words. But, I didn't need to. I already had a feeling that he was probably kicking himself- and would probably die when Chelsea gets on him later. I again smirked at the thought before I left his property completely- and headed towards the bridge that would take me to the forest.

* * *

**Shea's POV**

I mad! Mark no visit me! Chelsea no visit me! Why not! Why nobody come to play with me! Do they- hate me? The thought made me sad…

"_Maybe, I visit them!_"

I smile. I look toward Wada. Wada busy trying to make grilled fish for Wada and I- since we finish hunt early.

"Wada, can I go to town? Visit Mark and Chelsea?"

"… Yes… Go…."

I laughed happily and left Wada house. I still carry fish spear. I feel naked without it. My knife was tied on waist.

I left jungle and follow strange trail I was on before. I know where Mark house at. I at Mark house one time.

While I walking, I got strange look from other humans. They made me- nervous? I not comfortable yet with so many humans… But, I move on toward Mark house.

I finally reach the house. I look around; no see Mark in- plants?

"Food?"

I walk to plants and smell.

"Smell like food…"

I so busy poke plants with finger and spear that I no notice Mark.

"Shea! Hey, what are you doing here, buddy!"

I turn to Mark and smile, then I frown.

"Mark no visit Shea in many yesterdays! Why!"

Mark laugh.

"Eh, sorry Shea. I been kind of busy and- a lot of things have been going on…"

Mark sound- sad? But, why sad? Not happy like always?

"Mark sad…? Why?"

Mark sigh.

"I'm not really sad Shea… I just need- to rest…"

"Mark tired?"

Mark no look tired, but Mark say so…

"Where Chelsea?"

Mark smile at that.

"Follow me Shea… And uh, be very careful with that spear… You'll most likely scar the animals…"

Animals? No wild animals here- right? I confused…

I follow Mark to some big- building? I follow Mark inside and I see Chelsea- carry something to a- box?

"CHELSEA!"

I yell happy. I think I scare Chelsea. Chelsea drop something. I run to Chelsea and hug Chelsea.

"Shea happy to visit Chelsea!"

I think I saw Mark- freeze? But, why? Is Mark cold now?

"I-I-I am very glad that you are visiting too Shea…! B-But, you have to let go- you're hurting me."

I let go and look at her in surprise.

"I hurt- Chelsea?"

I sad again…

"N-No! I don't mean it that way Shea. I just have a broken arm… And, it hurts when there is too much pressure on it…"

I no understand. Pressure? What that? But, I know broke arm.

"Broke arm?"

Chelsea point to something. I look- and see Chelsea broke arm cover in- skin? I not know what thing is…

"Chelsea… Got hurt?"

Chelsea nodded her head at me.

"Yeah… But, it's okay Shea. I'll get better. So, don't you worry about me too much, okay?"

I nod, and smile anyway.

"I no worry about Chelsea."

I look around, and see- animals! I got spear ready.

"Animals!"

I confuse- what animals doing way out here?

"N-No Shea! These are _nice_ animals!" Chelsea said.

"Nice animals?"

"Yes Shea, these are nice animals. They help make food for us. So, they are nice right?"

Anything that make food is nice. I nod head and lower spear.

"Oh… I sorry… Shea feel stupid now…"

"You're not stupid Shea. You just have a lot to learn." Chelsea said.

I nod head again.

"I guess… Do Chelsea and Mark want play now? I want to play…"

Chelsea sigh sadly.

"I would love to Shea, but I have to put all of this milk into the bin first…"

"Then I help!"

I pick up weird shape thing and put into the box.

"Like that?"

Chelsea nodded. I finish the work, and then I look at Chelsea.

"Ready to play now!"

Chelsea laugh and nod head.

"Let's go to the meadow then. There is a lot of empty space there. We can play… Tag!"

Tag? What that? Well, Chelsea will show me.

"Mark come too?"

Mark move shoulders.

"Sure! Sounds like fun!" Mark say.

I yell in glee and run out of- animal building? Mark and Chelsea join me, and we race to the- meadow…? Once at meadow- Chelsea teach me tag- and we play- for hours…

* * *

**Mark's POV**

"Chelsea! This tastes amazing!"

I was busy eating her own cooked dish of curry rice with some vegetables and certain seasoning she threw in as well. My Goddess it tastes so good! I'm not exaggerating either. It felt like my taste buds went on a smooth cruise on a cloud! The ingredients she used were _so_ perfect and nothing in it tasted too spicy- it was just right.

"_She's an amazing cook even with one arm!_"

"Even Pierre would be amazed with this simple dish!"

Chelsea's cute face just kept turning red at my modest comments. Though, even Shea was agreeing with me. We were outside, still at the meadow (it is close to her house), eating her dish. Shea gulped his down as if he hadn't eaten a decent meal in days- though I wasn't far behind him.

"It's just curry rice Mark… Nothing special about it."

"B-But it's more than that! It tastes so- perfect…"

I think I felt my eyes twinkle and water in happiness.

"Mark, stop exaggerating."

"Oh, you think I'm exaggerating! Let's take this to Pierre then, and see what he says about this dish!"

I saw Chelsea sigh, but, I was serious.

We left the meadow, Shea decided to follow us a little longer before he should go home.

We reached Pierre's house and I knocked on the door. But then I figured he wouldn't be there anyway, because not only were the lights off inside of the house- but that his girlfriend (at least, I think so) Natalie is still hurt. He would most likely be with her.

We went to the hotel, and knocked on the door where Natalie would be- the same room Chelsea was in earlier…

"_And Vaughn…_" My conscience reminded me.

I instantly put the thought out of my mind. I didn't want to think about that right now…

"You can come in." A voice said from the other side of the door.

I opened the door and entered, with Chelsea and Shea following behind me. And, not to my surprise, Pierre was sitting in a chair next to Natalie's bed… With her still lying on her stomach, not that she has much of a choice…

"Hey Natalie and Pierre… How are you doing?" I asked.

Natalie shrugged her shoulders.

"I'm okay. It's Pierre that has the problem."

Pierre sighed.

"Natalie, is it so bad for me to worry about you?"

"I already told you that I'll be _fine_! Stop being such a worrywart!"

Pierre sighed again, and then he shook his head and chuckled just a little.

"Well, at least I know you're personality didn't get damaged at all. And I'm grateful for that."

If haven't heard Natalie do it once around me, I would have never believed that she giggled- a girly-like giggle too. I cleared my throat- I didn't want them getting sappy around me.

"The real reason of why I am here is because I was looking for you Pierre."

"Really? Why?"

I lifted up the plate of food for him to see.

"This is a dish that Chelsea made, and I want you to try it. She thinks I'm exaggerating when I say that it is perfect."

Pierre raised an eyebrow at me, and then he shrugged his shoulders and smiled.

"Of course I'll give it a taste!"

I handed over the plate of food, and he took it. He took out a spoon from some unknown pocket (so that's why he carries one around!) took some off of the plate, and put it into his mouth.

I can see him chewing the food slowly, probably trying to taste every bit of flavor in the food. He turned towards me, or maybe Chelsea (she was still behind me), with a smile and his eyes were closed.

"This tastes G-O-O-D!" He said in a sing-song like voice.

He licked his lips and then he opened his eyes again.

"I have to say that even though this is rather a simple dish, the amount of curry powder is just enough for the amount of rice you cooked. Not too much, or too little. Adding potatoes to it was a good idea. Along with the onion to give it that- somewhat crunchy taste! Adding bits of carrots to it gave it a sort of moist and tangy like taste.**_(5)_**"

I looked at Chelsea with a victory smile on my face.

"Told you!"

"But…" Pierre began.

Darn! Why can't my victory be sweet!

"I wouldn't go so far as to say that this is perfect, after all, I make the best curry rice dish on this island- or most dishes anyway." He said with a smile.

I rolled my eyes. Sometimes Pierre can have such a large ego. He may be small in stature, but his ego wasn't small, that was for sure… Maybe Natalie influenced that on him though? I didn't exactly know…

"I will say that this dish is close to a second compared to my own. In my own opinion, that isn't bad at all!"

I looked at Chelsea and she just shrugged her shoulders.

"I didn't really care that much about it. Unfortunately, Mark thought otherwise."

I laughed sheepishly and rubbed the back of my neck. Maybe I was a bit carried away…

"Well Chelsea, what are you planning to do now?" I asked her.

"I'm going to go home, take a nice shower, and then just relax. I had enough excitement today." She said.

Shea looked at me.

"I go home too. I still hungry for grilled fish Wada made." He said.

Shea was the first to leave, still running fast- despite how much running we did earlier.

"Well Chelsea, I might as well walk you home." I said.

For some odd reason, I felt like Natalie was snickering at me. I decided not to face her to find out if she was making some sort of face behind my back.

Chelsea nodded at me and then we both left together.

We walked towards her house, at a slow pace, just enjoying the scenery around us and the cool air of the night. I looked up, seeing the sky, and I could see hints of stars there. I smiled at the scene.

"_In the city, you couldn't see the stars too well due to the lights.**(6)**_"

It's sad that such a beautiful thing would be hidden back in the city… I took a quick glance at Chelsea, deciding to start some sort of conversation.

"So… You like to cook?"

She nodded her head and said, "I love to cook! I'm not as crazy about it like Pierre, but it's nice to do. I love to come up with my own specialty dishes!"

"Really? I would like to try one of your special dishes one day…"

She giggled lightly and replied, "Only special people are allowed to eat my special dishes. Besides, not too many people like them…" She said the last thing sadly.

I didn't understand why someone would not like her cooking- even her special dishes…? Whatever they might be… I swore to myself that I would one day taste one of her special dishes… I decided to change the topic a bit.

"What is your favorite thing to cook?"

I saw her eyebrows arched downward a little, showing that she was thinking.

"Hmm… I have to say that I _love_ to make desserts."

"That's nice to hear… What is your favorite dessert?"

She didn't have to think about that.

"Cheesecake!"

I laughed and said, "Same here! It's the best! I like it with-"

'Strawberries!" We both said at the same time.

I looked at her and she looked at me. And we both laughed. We both pointed at each other and said, "Jinx!"

We laughed again.

"_Hmm… Me and her even like the same things… This means something- right?_"

I couldn't help but daydream of what it would be like to be with Chelsea all of the time. I smiled more at the ideas passing by in my mind- it would be such a wonderful sensation…

But, too quickly we arrived at her house. She opened her door with her key and she entered. She turned towards me, and I couldn't help but worry about her.

"Will you be okay Chelsea?"

She nodded her head at me.

"I'll be fine. If anything bothers me in the middle of the night- I'll always have Lanna to sound the alarm."

I couldn't help but chuckle. Lanna does have a loud singing voice. She would be just as good as any alarm. I bit my bottom lip a little, hesitating to do what I wanted to do… Asking her would just sound stupid, and doing the action would be embarrassing if she doesn't 'reply' to it. I decided to just act…

I opened my arms wide open towards her. Chelsea, being the silly girl that she is sometimes, didn't get what I was trying to do. So, I walked forward and wrapped my arms around her- hugging her. I couldn't help but nuzzle my face on the top of her head and I smelled a mixture of coconut and that odor that fresh green grass has from her hair. She smelled- very nice…

Chelsea didn't move, but she didn't push me away either. Though, I thought I felt a little warmer than usual on my chest.

"_Is that me!_"

I decided to end the hug. I gently pulled away from her, pretending to fix the cap on my head before I looked at her again. She just stood there in shock- looking at me. Her face was also red, not completely, but enough to see it.

"_Maybe it wasn't such a good idea after all…_"

"Are you okay Chelsea?"

She just nodded her head and then her face turned back to her regular color.

"Mark… I just don't understand you… You are- a strange person."

Internally, I sighed to myself and I felt like an arrow was pointing at me with the words, 'YOU FAIL!' attached to it. Of course, I chuckled at her statement instead.

"As I have been told quite a few times."

But, I had to wonder if she thought I was strange in a good or bad way… I was hoping she meant the first one…

"Well, see you tomorrow Mark." She said with a smile before she closed the door, gently, in my face.

Once I was far enough from her house, I sighed to myself sadly.

"_Oh Chelsea…! Can't you see that I- like you…? So much…!_"

Once I was in my own home, I quickly looked at the clock. It was almost 7PM…

"I don't think it's too late…"

I walked over to my phone and dialed a telephone number that I used before. It ringed a few times before the person on the other end picked up.

"Hi, this is Mark! I'm sorry for calling a little late, but I wanted to ask you something…"

**_TO BE CONTINUED…_**

* * *

**BONUS**

* * *

**Title:** **_The Magazine_**

**By:** kitty868theonly

**Rating:** T+; Some minor swearing/cursing words, and indication of 'adult-like' theme (but not really).

**Type of Story:** Harvest Moon: Island Of Happiness; Mark; **Oneshot (Mark's POV)**; Humor.

**Quick Summary:** Mark is checking his mail and he sees the same things as usual in his mailbox- bills and junk mail. But, for once, he receives a magazine that is covered in black plastic. He knows it's not his, he doesn't order stuff… What is this magazine? And, who does it really belong to?

**Character's Presented (in Order of Appearance):** Mark, Chelsea, Denny, Pierre, Shea, Vaughn, Julia, Elliot, Natalie, and two 'random' cops.

**Started On & Completed Date:** October 09, 2009 (Start Date) & October 10, 2009 (Complete Date)

**Total Pages:** 11

**WARNING:** This oneshot has **_NOTHING_** to do with the story above. Though, as much as I want it to be, it just won't- make sense right now if it was part of the story… Anyway, this one was created just for humor purposes. Though, I think I made this 'for' Mark- I keep making him kind of look like a bad guy in my story…

* * *

**Mark's POV**

I was whistling to myself happily. I took out all of the stuff in my mailbox.

"Bill… Junk mail… Junk mail… More junk mail…"

I continued saying whatever the item was in my hand, shuffling through them. I was about to just enter my house and dump all of the stuff onto the table, but that was when I came across an item that was different.

I felt the item in my hands and looked at the size and shape of it. It looked like a magazine. Unfortunately, I couldn't see what type of magazine it was because it was covered in black plastic.

"What's that Mark?" Chelsea asked from behind me.

I shrugged my shoulders.

"I don't know… Maybe it's a game magazine or something educational that was sent to me… Possibly a gift to me even?"

I decided to just open it- and I regretted doing so instantly. A little blood shot out of my nose as my eyes widened in surprise and I could hear Chelsea gasp in horror.

"MARK! YOU PERVERT!"

I felt something sting the right side of my cheek- she obviously slapped me. Not hard enough to knock me out, but it still hurt.

I saw Chelsea stomping off of my property, going elsewhere. I tried to chase after her.

"Wait Chelsea! This isn't-"

I somehow tripped on my own two feet and fell to the ground, face first. I groaned from the pain on my nose as I stood back up. I rolled up the- offending magazine, like a wrapped up newspaper would be.

I will _not_ repeat what I saw on the cover of the magazine… But, I will say that what I saw- is not appropriate for anybody under 18 to be seeing… No wait, not even that! I wouldn't even look at it again…

"_Though then again…_"

I slapped myself that time- and on the same cheek that Chelsea hit, like an idiot… I took one deep breath and slowly breathed it back out, ignoring the stinging pain on my cheek.

I'll make it simple and say that the cover showed a- young, grown woman with _very_ little clothing on… That is all that needs to be said…

I wanted to throw the thing out and then kill the person who ordered the thing and got it sent to my house AND for letting Chelsea slap me thinking that it is mine! But, it wasn't right to throw it away… Even if the person is—a pervert, they still paid some sort of money for it…

"Maybe someone did order it for educational reasons…"

I pushed that idea out of my head. This magazine in my hand, wasn't for educational purposes… And I rather not find out why it was ordered either.

"_Okay… This thing has to belong to one of the guys…_"

Elliot immediately was crossed off of the list of guys to see about the magazine. He knew Elliot like he was his own brother. Strangely, Denny was the first person to go to about it.

"_Whoa… It would be really weird if this thing is his…_"

I put the offending magazine into my rucksack (I'm going to clean it THOROUGHLY later) and ran off to go to Denny's shack.

* * *

I finally reached Denny's shack and I knocked on his door.

"DOOR'S OPEN!" He shouted from inside.

I entered and he was there- alone, thank the Goddess!

"Hey Mark! What brings you here on-"

I closed the door behind me and I shifted my eyes around his shack- making sure that we guys were _really_ alone.

"Uh… Mark? What are you doing…?"

I focused my attention on him.

"I just wanted to make sure that it was just us here."

"Uh… You know Mark, maybe you should take a seat- outside on the beach."

I knew he only said that because I was acting weird, but he would be too if he was in my situation!

"Denny… I want to ask if- something belongs to you…"

"Uh, sure man…"

I took out the rolled up magazine from my rucksack. I let the magazine face him and then I unrolled it.

"Is this yours?" I asked.

I only focused on Denny's face. And his face wasn't even turning red. He just shrugged his shoulders as if the magazine was something not interesting… Wait! It's not interesting, what I mean is… You know what I mean!

"Not mine man. Besides, I usually look at the ones that have woman with a little darker skin- about my own complexion. Darker then me doesn't hurt too much either…"

My jaw just dropped open; I think it hit the floor.

"Why are you so calm about this!"

Denny grinned and winked at me.

"Believe me, I had my fair share of those too."

I'm never going to look at him the same again… Neither am I going to have a handshake with him unless I know his hands are clean...

"Okay Denny… I'll see ya around…"

"See ya."

I left his shack as quickly as possible.

"_Okay… So, Denny is out of the question… I guess I could see- Pierre!_"

That thought was _really_ weird, weirder then I thought it might be Denny's! Even though his cooking skills are 'super', the 'best of the best', he looks like- a child…

I shudder at the thought. He would be mistaken as a child reading stuff he's not supposed to be reading- or looking at rather… But, if it is his… Maybe not only does his age looks childish- maybe his mind is child-like too and he's trying to grow up.

"Incorrectly…" I mumbled under my breath.

I moved on to Pierre's house.

* * *

I knocked on his door and he answered almost immediately. He smiled up at me and said, "Mark! You finally stopped by to taste something of mine!"

He opened his door wider, giving me permission to enter. Once I was inside, I looked around, making sure we were alone- and we were. I sighed in relief.

Pierre was busy in his kitchen (not that the whole room didn't look like one), finishing cooking something…

"Pierre… I'm not here to taste-test your food…"

Pierre stopped whatever he was doing and he looked at me, disappointed.

"Oh… You're not…? Then, why are you here?"

"_I wish I wasn't here…_"

"Uh well… I wanted to ask if something belonged to you…"

He faced me completely.

"Like what?"

I again took out the offending magazine from my rucksack- and opened it for him to see only.

"Is this yours?"

I was trying to avoid looking at his face, so I didn't see his reaction… But, neither did I hear him make any sort of sound in reaction to the magazine.

"Pierre?"

I looked at his face that time, and he didn't look good. His face was a combination of two colors- green and blue. He looked- afraid.

"Uh, Pierre…?"

And then, he fainted, onto the floor. I chuckled nervously.

"_Eh, what should I do…?_"

* * *

I was outside of Pierre's house again. I decided to just drag him to his table and sit him down on one of his chairs with his head leaning against the table. At least if he wakes up, he'll think it all was a dream… At least, I hope so…

"Okay, so it's not his… So I guess I go see… Shea…?"

SHEA! My goodness… But, he is a- naïve type of guy… How does he know about money and these- things in this magazine!

"_Oh my Goddess! Maybe he is pretending to be naïve! That's right! Girls always go for the guys that seem so naïve and 'cute'- until they find out that he really isn't! It's the most diabolical plan ever!_"

I banished my crazy thoughts and just went to the jungle where he lived.

* * *

Shea was hunting when I found him. He turned towards me and smiled.

"Mark hunt with Shea!"

"No Shea… I uh… Came for a different reason…"

"Different reason? Mark play with Shea then?"

"Uh… Let me ask you something Shea…"

He nodded his head. I hesitated, remembering Pierre's reaction to the magazine.

"Eh… Do you know what- porn is, Shea?"

I made a mental note to myself to brush my tongue and teeth- at least 10 times… Shea titled his head to the side, confused obviously.

"Pour? I know what pour is… Pour is what rain do from sky."

My palm hit my forehead.

"_You are waaay off Shea… Thank the Goddess for that… Which means he is still the same Shea…_"

"Uh… Yeah! That is what I wanted to know is all Shea! See you around Shea!"

I basically ran off, but I still heard Shea say, "Mark crazy today…"

* * *

I was finally out of the jungle.

"_Okay… Who's left to ask?_"

I scratched the back of my head, and then I sighed as the answer came to me.

"Vaughn…"

Why him! If it does belong to him though- I'm going to hate him even more than I do already… Well, I don't hate him, I just don't like him… So, I guess I would hate him…

I sighed once again as I headed for Mirabelle's shop.

* * *

I entered the shop, and I was glad that Mirabelle wasn't around. Vaughn was standing in his usual spot, but once he saw me, he retreated to the 'house' part of the shop.

"Hey Mark! You're here to get anything?"

That was Julia's voice. Which means, that Vaughn and me wouldn't be alone… Not that I want to be around him for long.

"No… I'm here to talk to Vaughn real quick…"

Julia looked at me surprised.

"You- want to see Vaughn? Oh my… Who are you and where is the real Mark?"

I rolled my eyes at her and chuckled.

"I'm me. It's about- guy stuff. So don't be nosy, okay Julia?"

She put a hand over her chest and made a fake sad puppy face.

"Would I do something as horrible as listening to a private conversation?"

I again rolled my eyes and then I went to the 'house' part of the shop. Vaughn was sitting at the table, doing nothing except drinking a cup of- milk it looked like. He ignored me of course, even though I knew he knew that I was there.

"Hey Vaughn…"

He grunted in response.

"I came by to ask you if something belonged to you."

I saw him look at me, but he continued to drink his milk. I was about to ask him about the magazine, not show it to him. But… I think it was time for me to do a little pay back. So, I waited for him to take a swallow of milk again before I pulled out the magazine and showed it to him.

"Is this yours?"

I know I was being a jerk for doing that- but come on- he had it coming to him sooner or later…

While the cup was in his mouth, with the milk obviously going down his throat, he looked towards me. First, his eyes widened in shock, and then he spit the milk out of his mouth- some of it coming out of his nose. He then started to cough. I kept my laughter to myself- though I promised to myself that I would burst out laughing whenever I had the chance to be alone. He regained his composure.

"What the hell is-"

He started to cough again. This time, when he stopped, he took a deep breath and breathes back out.

"Vaughn? Are you okay in there? I'm hearing a lot of coughing."

"I'm fine Julia!"

He sounds frustrated now, and then I noticed his face was red- and I highly doubt it was from anger. I almost burst out laughing at his face- I'm being terrible…

"That- _thing_ isn't mine! Where the hell did you get the idea that it was mine!" Vaughn said through his teeth, saying it in anger, but only loud enough for me to hear him.

"I didn't exactly accuse you that it is yours. I asked you if it was yours. Therefore, I'm not sure whose it is. Besides, I asked many others before you- so far, you're the only one that reacted a little overboard."

Not counting Pierre, but he didn't need to know that…

"Do-Does it look like I look at that nonsense! Now, get the hell out! I have to clear my nose because of you!" He said through his teeth, he obviously didn't want to attract Julia's attention, because he said it low enough for only me to hear it again.

I put the magazine back into my rucksack and then I smiled as I turned away from him. I left the shop skipping in a happy mood, while laughing to myself. But then, I slowly stopped, realizing that I was back on square one again…

"_Wow… There are no more guys to go too…_"

So, whose magazine is it? I sighed to myself and then walked over to Taro's house (right next door), to consult with my best friend Elliot. Maybe he could help me find out who it belonged to...

"_What happens if this magazine belongs to one of the girls!_"

I went through all of the girls in my mind, but Chelsea's face was burned into my mind- and so was her slap on my cheek…

"_It looked like Chelsea isn't into that kind of thing… Thank the Goddess!_"

"_What happens if she is pretending that she doesn't like that type of thing?_" My conscience asked.

I didn't think it was possible, but if it was…

"_You know… Chelsea would look kind of-_"

BAM! My face hit the front door to Taro's house. I was so lost in my thoughts that I was walking around unaware of anything!

"_Serves you right for doing something terrible to Vaughn- even if he is a jerk._" My conscience said.

I rubbed my face to ease the pain and used my free hand to knock on the door. Elliot answered the door himself.

"Hey Mark."

"Hey Elliot."

He let me in and we both sat at the table he had. I didn't see anyone around- so his mother was out (thank Goddess again!) and so was his grandfather- for the time being. His sister is most likely elsewhere as well. Elliot being the observant one noticed my distress.

"Mark, what's wrong?"

I sighed and he got up from his seat. I'm positive he's going to the kitchen to get me drink- fruit juice most likely. And I was right- he came back with a cup for me only. I gladly took it but I didn't drink any of it- yet.

"Well… I've been going around trying to figure out who owns- a certain item… And so far, nobody does…"

"What item is that?"

I looked around, making sure we were alone- and we were… I took out the offending magazine and showed it to him. I didn't bother looking at his reaction or the magazine- I could already imagine what his reaction would be… I waited for the expected thud of him hitting the floor, from fainting, but, no sound came… I was about to look at him directly, but that was when Natalie came from the 'bedroom' part of the house.

"_Crap! I forgot about that area!_"

It was too late now; she must have heard me talking because she approached the table and said, "What item?"

She picked up the magazine, but, she didn't blush or anything like the reaction that Chelsea gave me. She flipped through the pages, quickly, and I just couldn't help but stare at her calm expression.

"_Well, it shouldn't be that much of a surprise- you've seen her behavior before…_" My conscience said.

"Hmm… Well, this is a full blown one too. I will admit that this subscriber has good taste, but, it's not mine." She said as she flicked the magazine onto the table and then she left- outside.

I **_REFUSE_** to dwell on what she said- **_AT ALL_**… I decided to drink my juice instead to force my mind to think about something else.

As for Elliot, his face was red, I noticed- but it wasn't as bad as I expected it to be.

"Mark… That magazine—is mine…" He said shyly, and in a low voice.

It was my turn to do the same reaction that Vaughn did not too long ago. Once I finished coughing and noting to myself how it hurts for juice to come out of your nose, I regained myself- a little.

"Elliot…! This thing- is yours…! You can't be serious!" I said, clearly surprised.

He sighed in reply and said, "I'm not the way you might- think I am… I have my reasons for looking at it."

"Uh, I don't understand… Don't you have- Julia to talk about things or something Elliot?"

My mind is already damaged enough for the day- I don't want to talk to him about it… Though, where does he hide them from his mom and grandfather (and sister)? Certainly not in his 'bedroom' that they all share? I asked him, before he could admit anything else to me.

He pointed to the two crates that are always by the door.

"You see those two crates there? Both of them contain everyone's junk stuff. Things that we buy from Chen or things we order from the city, we put them in there. One crate belongs to my mother and grandfather. The other me and Natalie share. I hide my- stash under a hidden compartment there… It's like a fake bottom part of the crate- only I know about it… Nobody else…"

Well, nobody else knew about it until today- now I know… Thanks for sharing a secret with me that I have no interest in whatsoever…

"Well, I promise to not tell Elliot. You are you and you have the right to- do whatever you like… Just don't send anymore to my house by mistake… Chelsea slapped me earlier thinking it was mine…"

Elliot just nodded his head and said, "Sorry for the trouble I caused you."

I just sighed and lightly smiled at him.

"No big deal."

Suddenly, the door was slammed open. And two- cops came into the house! What is going on! One of them addressed me.

"Are you the rancher Mark?"

"Uh… Yes… Why?"

"You're under arrest for opening mail that is not yours! It's illegal to open other people's mail!" The officer said.

I stuttered and protested.

"What! Now wait a minute! Doesn't that only apply in America! I-"**_(7)_**

One of them handcuffed me (how did he get behind me so fast!) and pushed me forward- out of the door.

"Tell it to the judge!" The other said.

"Bu-But! I have a good reason for-"

One of the officers knocked me out with their club.

"That's enough of this ballyhoo! Now, let's book him!**_(8)_**"

The cops drag Mark away towards the beach, to send him to their headquarters back in the city…

Unknown to Elliot and Mark- they didn't know that one other person knew their secret- Natalie… She just rubbed her hands together and decided to use it for blackmail for Elliot, to further tease him… Or, to at least get him to do her biding for a while…

* * *

**AUTHOR'S COMMENTS/NOTES**

* * *

That's it! I'm going to have to say that I was destined to write this story! Why do I say this? Well, first there was the day I 'published' this story on FanFiction itself- September 11th, which represents a certain event in America- a bad event and other things of that sort. And this story is listed as horror etc… Secondly, the day of the 'omen' coming true in the story took place on a Sunday, a day that some people go to church to pray and other things of the liking and 'crap' happens. Finally, do you know what day it will be in this story soon- that is considered a superstition around the world (or most of it anyway)? In this chapter it is Spring 11th on a Wednesday- guess what day it will be on Friday in this story? That's right- Friday the 13th! And, not only that- it's Pierre's birthday too! XD What are the chances of that! Also, the day after would be 'Spring Thanksgiving'! I can't swear, but I can give you my word that I didn't plan the days and a few other things ahead- I just winged it. The plot and that stuff were planned, but not really the days…

Now, I have to admit to myself that this chapter is longer then I intended it to be. But, what can I say? First off, Chelsea injury should have been worse then I made it. In fact, her whole right arm should have been damaged. Her shoulder should have been dislocated or worse, her muscles should be in pain constantly- or close to being paralyzed, and both the bones in the arm (ignoring the bones in the wrist etc) should have been damaged- taking a season or two to heal completely- even with the help of medicine and other things to help the process of the bones healing. But, I gave her a 'minor' injury to make her heal quickly. I have my reasons for why- and you will find out in the future…

Secondly, if you have read this far into the story- without skipping, pat yourself on the back (not being sarcastic). You have read over (or about) 200 pages in total! It's not a lie, and it may seem like a lot (maybe it is to some), but congratulations! And the 200 page count is not including the author comments and the bonus one-shots at the end! Just wow, thanks for sticking with me for so long- despite my chattering…!

Thirdly, Shea I think was just… I threw him in at the last minute… I kind of almost forgot that I was going to include him into the story- which explains why he is towards the end. But, he wasn't that bad I guess… Originally, I wanted Shea to help Chelsea with her animal work- because it's funny is why! But, seriously, I couldn't imagine Shea doing animal work- even if he really wanted to help- it just looks- funny or something… So, I just used him to help me end the chapter- somewhat…

Fourthly (who uses this word?), as for Mark, what is he up to? Again, you will find out in the future. I know what it is obviously; I planned this ahead of time… And, Mark seems to be a jerk for kicking Vaughn off of his property, but he does have that right to do so… Also, I have a reason for Vaughn not working with Chelsea on the farm anyway… I want to make it more difficult for him to get with Chelsea! Yeah, I'm evil like that sometimes…

Finally, if any of you are wondering if Vaughn apologized to Sabrina. No, he did not- at least, not in this chapter. I'll do it in the future- I know when and I know why too… Believe me, I have my reasons. So, again, you will find out in the future.

As for the bonus… THAT'S RIGHT! I THINK ELLIOT IS A SECRET PERVERT! It's the nerdy looking people you got to watch out for! No insult intended… Well, it would explain why he is almost always marching back and forth along the crates in his house (besides packing stuff all of the time), like a guard or something… And explains why Natalie is almost always in front of the bookcase- probably has her own secret stash behind the books there… It would also explain why the main character (in the game) can't read any of the titles… I bet Sabrina has her own stack too! Because, we can't read any of the books there either- it would explain why she's into art! She can draw naked men anytime she wants- she's perverted too! Okay, so that statement would be false for artists, but, it doesn't hurt to joke- harmless joking…

And of course, I couldn't help but laugh so hard at people's expression with the 'evil' magazine- as Mark would put it. Originally, with Denny, I wanted him to LOOK at the magazine more closely and then comment about it… But, I prevented that… I don't know why… As of so far, this BONUS is the longest one so far… I hope that won't become a habit…

And now, onto the numbers…:

**(1)** …_ they're not on you.:_ For those of you that might be confused with this statement, what his conscience is saying is that she doesn't see Mark. She doesn't notice him, and it is most likely indicating that she doesn't like him, like him. He just saw the staring thing between Vaughn and Chelsea, a glimpse of it, so- of course he would be hurt by this statement.

**(2)** _… that I didn't hit her nose or anything…:_ I had to 'debate' about this scene here… I was debating for Vaughn or for Mark to 'feed' Chelsea… Mark won obviously. I gave Vaughn the bandanna scene and I thought it was enough for him. So, I gave Mark a chance- with the cake obviously. Mark has a screwed up mind, doesn't he? XD

**(3)** _'MSM'_: MSM stands for **M**ethyl**s**ulfonyl**m**ethane (Me-thyl-sul-fo-nyl-meth-ane). To make a long lecture short, MSM helps the body get rid of toxics in it and increases the blood circulation as well (though, not as much as one other natural herb I know of). It's basically an organic sulfur compound. It helps makes the muscles flex easier and helps make new cells (white blood cells more so I believe)- which are needed to heal the body, get rid of (or tries to) disease and so on. This is recommended for those with signs of arthritis or has it. And yes, I use this myself- not because I have arthritis (because I don't), but because it's just good for the body. To make sure that I am not incorrect with any of this information, PLEASE feel free to look up information about this product (MSM). I have seen this product in stores- even in Wal-Mart… If you are interested in this product, either for curiosity or because you want to take it yourself, PLEASE do research on this product… Most likely on the internet… Asking an 'herb' specialist would be okay too.

**(4)** _… hum the song to her:_ For those of you wondering what song she is humming- I will not say... Yet… She will SING this song in a future chapter. This song will be somewhat significant to the story… I usually don't use lyrics or songs in my stories, but, I'll make it an exception for this story… It's strange that this song I'm talking about popped into my head after I haven't thought about it in years… Anyway, I just hope that nobody uses my idea before I can get it typed up myself… Because if someone does- I might have to visit their house and kill them… I'm joking of course; I'm not that crazy… Don't dwell on that sentence… XD

**(5)**_… gave it a sort of moist and tangy like taste.:_ You know, I'm glad I'm not a gourmet like Pierre… I mean, how do you describe the taste of food? Like carrots? Seriously, I was sitting here for a quite a few minutes trying to figure out how to describe the taste of food… I love to eat different things, but I never thought of trying to describe it! I would say things like it tastes spicy or too spicy, sweet or sour too sweet or sour, it tastes greasy, it needs more salt- you know simple things like that… But I can't describe the taste of the food beyond that. I tried looking up on the internet, using Google(C), the question, "What do carrots taste like?" and the answer I got (or the real questioner got) was 'It tastes like carrots.' XD That wasn't what I meant, but, all well... It will have to do…

**(6)** …_ see the stars too well due to the lights.:_ What Mark is talking about is called 'Light Pollution'. In most cities in real life, you can't see the stars due to the lights that are on around the city etc. at night. I won't go into details of what it exactly does or how it happens- but it basically makes it hard to see the stars… Which I think is sad… There are times when I look up into the sky myself, and I can barely (if at all) see the stars in the sky- since I live in a city myself… Here's the funny thing- I learned this term from watching an episode of, 'The Simpsons' (and some people say that you can't learn things from cartoon- ha!). I can't remember the title of the episode, but I remember that Lisa used the term herself… Anyway, if you want more information about this term, you can look this up on the internet or look at books from your local library! I'm sure there is more than enough information about this…

**(7)** _Doesn't that only apply in America!:_ As far as I know, opening someone else's mail (that isn't addressed to you) is illegal and this law only applies in America… I'm not sure about Japan… Since Mark and the rest are from a game made in Japan, it would obviously mean that their laws are different (compared to America) too- right? So, that's why Mark mentioned a slight strange statement… I did try to look it up if this law is true in Japan. But, I'm afraid I couldn't find any answers to my question… If I knew Japanese better than I do now, I would be able to search in Japanese… But, I don't know Japanese that well- my reading comprehension is about the level of a kindergarten in Japan- learning the Japanese language that is… One day, I will have the time to study the language and be better than my brother! Yes, he is an 'expert' on the language- but not the culture too well…

**(8)** _That's enough of this ballyhoo! Now, let's book him!_: I watch _WAY_ too much SpongeBob SquarePants! I blame my younger sister… Anyway, there was this episode that I remember seeing where the cop hit Squidward (because he went overboard again) on the head and the cop said that comment (the first one). The second sentence, I remember this being used in the movie, 'Hoodwinked', by a character that goes by the name Chief Grizzly- who is a bear in the film… Anyway, his 'favorite' phrase seems to be 'Let's book them!' I won't spoil the movie, so, if you're interested, look up information about the movie or just rent it… The movie was created in the USA and would most likely be in English.

**_THANK YOU ALL FOR REVIEWING (And to those that read anonymously)!_**


	7. Chapter 6, Friday the 13th

**Chapter 6, Friday the 13th**

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**SPRING 12TH – THURSDAY**

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**Vaughn's POV**

"What! Why shouldn't I come to work tomorrow!" I yelled through the phone at my boss.

I heard my boss sigh on the other line of the phone.

"Because, I am a superstitious type of guy… Tomorrow is Friday the 13th just in case you haven't noticed…"

"But, it's just some stupid superstition that some stupid person made up! You can't be serious!"

"I'm dead serious… Don't bother coming back to the city to take care of the animals at the warehouse there… I wouldn't be surprised if some storm brewed up while you are on the boat. I don't need to be losing my best animal caretaker. Because if I do, I'll be screwed over, and I don't need that type of headache right now…"

"F-Fine! And, why can't I come to work on Saturday!"

I could imagine my boss doing his smile with some sort of happy background behind him.

"Because, it's the day that I'm going to be spending my time with my wife! So, being the nice boss that I am, I'm giving everyone else a break!" My boss said in a sing-song voice.

"Who is going to take care of the animals back in the city for two days! If I'm not there, then who will do it!"

"Eh, I'll send one of the other guys who are already in the city to take care of them… In fact, I'll ask them to go by today instead and just leave extra food there and water for the animals! They'll be fine if that is done, right?"

"No." I said simply.

"Don't lie to me or you're fired."

"_Damn… How would he know if I'm lying anyway…?_"

"Fine… But, what am I going to do while I'm here? This island is- driving me crazy…!"

I imagined my boss shrugging his shoulders.

"I don't know. Just do what you did before. Besides, you didn't seem to have a problem before. You stayed there since Sunday if I'm correct. So, why can't you stay for an extra few days? Just take it as- a vacation! Besides, I think you are long overdue for one… You're the only guy I have to force to take a vacation. So, be grateful and stop complaining."

"Or I'm fired?"

"You got it! Now, have a nice extra two days on the island!"

My boss hung up the phone on the other line and I followed. I sighed in frustration.

"Well, better get to work… Maybe that'll calm me down…"

"_If it wasn't for Mark, I'll be able to help Chelsea too…_"

I pushed any thoughts of Chelsea away from my mind. I needed to focus on more important things- not think about that cheery rancher…

"_For now…_" My conscience replied.

* * *

**Chelsea's POV**

I took a teaspoon of the MSM powder from the bottle and dumped it into my cup of orange juice that I made. I stirred the contents as much as I could, and then I drunk the whole cup in one gulp. I must not have stirred the contents enough- because I tasted the bitter powder anyway.

"Ugh! Why must something that is healthy for you taste nasty!" I asked out loud, to nobody in particular.

Once I was done with that, I left my house, all ready to go to work- or try to do some of it anyway...

I checked my mailbox first before I left, as I always do every morning. Nothing but my pay for yesterday's work and junk mail. I again wondered briefly why I didn't receive the bill yet for 'rent'. But, I again figured it must be because it wasn't close enough to the end of the month or something.

I started walking on the path that would take me to the ranch.

"_Hmmm… I wonder if Vaughn would help me today…?_"

I sighed to myself. I highly doubt he would- he would most likely still be mad at me for what I said yesterday… I wouldn't be surprised if he stops talking to me altogether… Well, I could be wrong though…

I finally reached the ranch and I immediately went to the stable to start my work. And, as I somehow expected, Mark was there, waiting for me it looked like.

"Morning Chelsea!" He said with a smile.

"_He seems awfully happy this morning… Well, then again, he is always happy- most of the time anyway…_"

"Same to you Mark. What are you doing in here anyway?"

"I'm here to help you of course!" He said.

I shook my head and sighed.

"Mark, I already told you yesterday that Vaughn would help me. I appreciate your help and all, but I don't need it if another is already going to help me. Besides, I don't want to tire you out… You are busy as it is, especially when you have to harvest."

I saw him scratch the back of his head and he coughed.

"Well, Chelsea… I have to say something concerning that…"

I saw him fidgeting with his gloved covered fingers.

"_This can't be good…_"

"Mark… Did you do something to make Vaughn angry?"

"Well… I… Ah…"

"Mark…" My voice became hard and it was strict.

I wasn't going to let him try to change the topic.

"Chelsea… I really hate to tell you this but… He ah…"

He hesitated again, but he continued before I could say anything.

"He ah… Said that he won't help you anymore Chelsea. I ah… I didn't want to tell you, but, I did…"

"_What…? I don't understand… Why would he not want to help me anymore?_"

"_It's because he's mad at you… For not telling him the full truth about the mine… Not to mention that you told him to apologize to Sabrina._" My conscience said to me.

Just because of that he would stop helping me! I thought he cared about the animals! Why would he put his stupid man pride before his care for the animals! He seemed like the type of person that would care about the animals first- I've seen the way he would treat animals! Why would he do this!

"_I guess I misjudged him… A lot!_"

"Chelsea…?"

"I-I'm fine Mark… I'll- accept your help Mark… Besides, you are my boss. It would be rude of me to deny your help." I said as I forced myself to smile at him, as if everything was okay.

I could tell that he was worried, just by the way he was looking at me. But, he nodded his head in reply.

He helped me with Dash by brushing him while I filled his feeding bin. Then, we went to the chicken coop and he collected the eggs while I fed the chickens. Then we both petted the chickens and then we left.

We didn't say one word to each other while doing the work. I was still angry, and I think it was clear on my face. Once we were inside of the animal barn that was when Mark broke the silence.

"Chelsea… I know you're mad but… Maybe you should calm down a bit… I think you're scaring the animals…"

I replied with a small groan.

"Chelsea… How about you hum that song like you did yesterday? I know you said that you would be embarrassed… But, can you pretend that I am not here?"

I calmed down a little and I, reluctantly, started to hum the song. And, it did calm me down even more, and I even forgot that Mark was there helping me, instead of Vaughn…

* * *

**Mark's POV**

"_Why did I lie to her?_"

I asked myself for the thousandth time, while I was helping her in the barn... I can hear her humming that song, but not even that would ease my mind enough…

When she gave me that look and said my name in that strict voice of hers- I was afraid to tell her the truth of why Vaughn won't help her anymore… I knew that if I told her the truth, she would hate me… I also knew that if I lied, that she would be disappointed, though not in me… Quite frankly, I want her to be disappointed in someone else, then to hate me… I wouldn't be able to bare that… Though, she looks angry more than disappointed with Vaughn…

"_Besides, one little lie won't hurt her…_"

"_Yeah… Until she finds out that you were lying…_" My conscience replied.

She won't find out! I… I'll make sure that she won't… At least, I'll try to until I'm ready to tell her the truth myself… Until then, this lie I told her would have to do… Then she can- hate me…

I then realized that I wasn't going to tell her the truth… No matter how much time passed by… Why won't I? I think I am- becoming selfish… At least, when it concerns her… And the thing is… I don't feel guilty about it…

* * *

**Sabrina's POV**

I was sitting on my bed, just looking at some old sketches that I have done in the past. Some of them were good, but others weren't so great…

I sighed to myself.

"_I'm not going to cry… I'm not going to cry…_"

I was still upset about Chelsea's injury, true… But I was upset the most about Vaughn… When he yelled at me… I still feel very guilty… He hurt my feelings- a lot… I never knew that he had such a- temper… I have always seen him as the quiet type and just focusing on- his job most likely… But, when he yelled at me…

"_Does he care about Chelsea?_"

Well, I guess he would… She does take care of the animals on the ranch… Without her, business I guess would be very- bad for him…

Just then, I heard the familiar sound of ringing- the doorbell of course…

I got up off of my bed, threw my old sketchbook onto the bed, and headed downstairs. As I walked through the hallway, I saw my father doing his calculations at his desk- of course…

"Sabrina, can you get the door for me?"

"Of course father."

"Thank you little mouse**_(1)_**."

I sighed and continued my walk to the door. When I opened it, I didn't expect Chelsea to be there.

"Oh! Hi Chelsea…"

I still felt guilty about her injury- and looking at her injured arm would be a constant reminder for me…

"Morning Sabrina! I came by because I was wondering if you would like to examine the gems and ores I got from the mine…"

Her voice faded when she mentioned the mine… I wonder if she'll ever go mining again after that experience… Probably not…

"O-Of course Chelsea… I wish you had of told me ahead of time."

I invited her in and I advised her that we should head upstairs to the 'dining' area. The table would be large enough for us to scatter the gems and ores to look at them.

We went up the stairs and each of us took a seat at the table. Chelsea took her rucksack off of her back (it was hung on only one arm I noticed) and put it onto the table. She took out the many gems she found and put them on the table.

I immediately started looking at each one, telling her what the quality was and the size. After a few minutes went by, she finally spoke.

"Sabrina… I was wondering… Did Vaughn come by to apologize to you?"

I sighed. I wished that she didn't mention Vaughn at all…

"No Chelsea he didn't… Why? Is he supposed to?"

Chelsea nodded her head.

"Yeah he was…"

She said nothing after that and I didn't pry either… Because she looked angry after that, and I don't want her anger released on me… I had more than enough of yelling then I could take…

We didn't finish looking at the gems and ores until many hours later. She thanked me for my time and told me that she was heading over to the barn to talk to Julia for the rest of the day. She again thanked me and then she left my house.

Once I was alone in my bedroom, once again, I then began to wonder what Chelsea said about Vaughn apologizing to me.

"_Why would he apologize to me? Did he feel- guilty for yelling at me…?_"

That thought made my heart swell happily. I always had a feeling that he was really nice- he just doesn't show it much…

"_You're wrong… He doesn't feel guilty… He probably was convinced to apologize to you due to another… Mark or Chelsea probably did it…_" My conscience said to me.

I sighed sadly, my happy feeling gone now… It was most likely right… It was always right…

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**SPRING 13TH – FRIDAY**

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**Chelsea's POV**

I was sleeping, enjoying my sleep of course. But, then my sleep was interrupted by the sound of loud knocking on my door.

I opened my eyes lazily, still sleepy of course. I rolled out of the bed and walked to the door. I opened it, and there stood Mark. I rubbed my eyes and said, "Hey Mark… Why are you here so early?"

Mark gave me this strange look.

"Chelsea… Do you realize what time it is?"

"Hmmm… Is it earlier then 6AM?"

"Chelsea… Go look at your clock…"

I shrugged my shoulders and walked to where my calendar was, and looked at the clock sitting above it. My eyes widened in disbelief.

"No way! It's 10AM!"

I gasped in horror.

"Wh-Why didn't my alarm go off!"

I heard Mark chuckle from the door.

"Well, I guess your bad luck already started."

"Bad luck…? What bad luck?"

I saw Mark shake his head and chuckle.

"Chelsea, don't you realize what day it is?"

"No."

"Chelsea, Chelsea."

He shook his head and chuckled lightly again. I was about to lose my patients with him- it was still too early for this.

"Chelsea… It's Friday the 13th…"

Oh… Well, that explains it… I sighed.

"Like I need any more bad luck…"

Mark lightly smiled at me.

"Hey… I won't let anything happen to you again… Not as long as I am here. I promise."

I couldn't help but smile back at him. Mark is just so- sweet at times… I saw him scratch the back of his head and his face was slightly red.

"You have- nice pajamas Chelsea…"

I looked down at myself, and I forgot that I was wearing a long sleeved cotton made pajamas- the color light red with baby chicks on them, and a pair of light red pants to match. I felt embarrassed.

"_He seems to always catch me with barely anything on… First with me in a towel and now in my pajamas… It seems- like too much of a coincidence._"

"Th-Thank you Mark…"

"_I think…_"

"Do you want me to wait for you Chelsea? I can wait out here if you want… And walk with you to the ranch… Especially on this day… Well, not that I wouldn't walk with you on any other day! I-uh…"

I sighed to myself mentally. Mark was nervous now.

"Sure Mark. There's no need to get all worked up about it."

He nodded his head happily and he turned away from my door, whistling… He closed my front door for me…

It took me a moment to notice that he was whistling the same song that I hum…

* * *

**Vaughn's POV**

I finished my work earlier than I thought today. I was now out in the forest, just pacing around doing nothing… I may look like I'm relaxed, but my mind was annoyed about yesterday…

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~FLASHBACK~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

_I was in my usual spot inside of my aunt's shop pacing around (why am I always pacing?), and my cousin was at the counter sitting down on one of the stools reading something. My aunt was behind the counter doing nothing, hoping that she would get some customers- not that she gets many anyway._

_The door to the shop opened, the bell above the door ringing throughout the shop. We all looked towards the door, and I wasn't surprised to see Chelsea… She acknowledged Julia and Mirabelle- but she ignored me… At first, I thought maybe she didn't see me… But, after a few minutes of her talking to Julia- I knew that she was ignoring me purposely._

_ "Why is she ignoring me?" I thought._

_So, for once, I spoke to her first._

_ "Hey Chelsea."_

_She stopped talking to Julia, very briefly, and said, "Hey."_

_Then she went back to her conversation, or at least she tried to, Julia was clearly shocked as much as I was about her cold-like nature towards me. Not just that, she didn't even face me when she said, 'Hey.' What the hell!_

_And then, the answer hit me of why she was most likely ignoring me… She probably found out that I didn't apologize to Sabrina… Either Julia told her or she just knew due to women's intuition or something like that… I decided to just leave then. There was no point of staying there._

_And she continued to ignore me- even when she was in the Diner eating her dinner later..._

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~END OF FLASHBACK~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

"_Hmph! I don't need her- friendship!_"

I didn't understand. How could one little act make her so mad at me? She barely even knew that weird girl! Did she really think I was in the wrong when I yelled at Sabrina? Seriously, what gives! Not just that, she was even eating dinner with Mark at the Diner yesterday! She didn't look mad at him! And he's the one that didn't want me helping her anymore!

"_Maybe she didn't really want my help… She probably doesn't really want me around…_"

Somehow, that isn't surprising to me… Hardly anybody wants me around…

"_I guess she doesn't either… She's probably just a hypocrite…_"

My training of thought was interrupted when I heard footsteps behind me. I turned around- and saw three mangy looking dogs… They looked wild, dirty, and very- hungry.

"_Damn…_"

The three dogs saw me, and they slightly growled at me. The first thing I did was not panic. I stood my ground and gave them the most neutral gaze I could muster. They approached me, slowly with caution. One of them sniffed me and it looked up at me. I could see that it was still a little wary about me. I kneeled down, very slowly, to not startle them in any way that would make them act violently towards me. I held out one of my hands to them, palm up, and then I looked into the dogs eyes.

Lucky for me that the dog I looked at was more trusting- the others didn't look like they trusted anything…

After what felt like an eternity, the dog finally stuck out its tongue out of its mouth and it lapped at my gloved covered hand, just a little. I turned my hand around and lifted my hand towards his head, very slowly, and rubbed the top of the dogs head. I could see that the other dogs relaxed as well, finally realizing that I was a harmless stranger. I noted to myself to bring food next time for them.

"_At least with animals, I get along fine with them… They understand me… I don't need anybody else… Not even Chelsea._"

I pushed the thoughts of her away from my mind for now… I didn't want these dogs sensing my mood and react to it.

"_Hmmm… Maybe I can get them some food now instead-_"

Suddenly, I felt a cool wind blow through my _hair_.

"What the-!"

Without me noticing, one of the dogs had taken my hat from off the top of my head. I like that hat- and I wanted it back. I reached out a hand towards the dog that had my hat- also noticing that one of its ears was punctured at the tip.

"Hey boy… Give me back my hat… That isn't food."

The dog shook its head, most likely spilling drool all over my hat… But, I didn't care if it did that, I still wanted my hat back.

"Come on boy… Give it back…"

This time, it turned away from me and ran off.

"_Hell no! I'm getting that hat back!_"

I stood up and chased after it, the other two dogs followed me. Obviously, they think I am playing some sort of game with them. I hoped I could catch the dog before I ran out of breath… And that it wouldn't ruin my hat too much…

"_I hate Fridays!_"

* * *

**Pierre's POV**

I finally finished making my own birthday chocolate cake… So far, nobody came by to say 'Happy Birthday' to me. Well, it was most likely due to what day it is… But still! I at least expected Mark to say something to me!

I sighed to myself. Maybe he'll come see me later…

I took the whole cake out of the fridge, seeing that it was all good to go to take over to Natalie's room. I sighed again.

"_Natalie… Why must you suffer for someone else's pain? You didn't have to do what you did…_"

Natalie barely knew Chelsea, and yet, she saved her… I still didn't quite understand why she did… I knew it was the right thing to do, but, why did she do it? I really wanted an answer to my question. Because her action was somewhat- illogical… To add on to it, Chelsea barely comes by to see Natalie- and I don't remember her thanking Natalie either for saving her life…

I frowned.

"_Seems kind of rude of her to do that… She should be coming by to visit Natalie all of the time._" I thought.

I shook the thoughts out of my head. She can't come see Natalie all of the time… She's busy like Mark… So, I shouldn't be angry with her- or expect her to visit Natalie all of the time.

I finally left my house with the cake in my hand and walked on the path towards the hotel.

Once I was there, I opened the door that led to Natalie's room without knocking, and I looked into the room. Natalie had her eyes closed, and she looked asleep. I quietly entered the room and put my cake on the table, next to the tea-tray. I walked by her bed and I looked down at her.

I couldn't help but smile down at her. She looked so- peaceful and beautiful… Usually, when she is awake, she would have this slight permanent frown on her face (not as bad as Vaughn's though). The frown would only fade from her face when she giggled or is just- relaxed with herself. So, that is why I always try my best to please her or make her giggle- because I _loved_ seeing that peaceful look on her face. And, she may be annoyed with me trying to please her- but I do it for a reason… Or, many reasons… I just want her to be happy, and she seems to be happy with me- that alone makes me want to jump in glee! I feel like I'm on top of the world when I'm with her! As for her mean-like demeanor- I love that about her too. To me, she is the perfect woman. Who wouldn't love her? She is a hard worker, forceful, honest with her opinions despite how cruel it may sound, and she has this dark-like sense of humor that I love! I don't understand how her brother doesn't seem to appreciate her- or say behind her back that she should act more 'girly'. I like the way she is!

"Hey Pierre…"

I woke up from my thoughts and lightly smiled down at her.

"Good morning Natalie… How are you feeling this morning?"

"I'm fine. I just feel tired as hell… And I can't stand being in this one spot for so long!" She complained.

"I know… But, you heard what Dr. Trent said… You might be able to get into a wheelchair by next season… I hope you do…"

She smiled at me, and she still looked tired.

"Pierre…"

"Hmm?"

"Happy birthday…"

I smiled at her.

"Thank you."

"Though… You seem to be bad luck Pierre… It's Friday the 13th today, isn't it?"

"Yeah it is." I said as my eye winced.

"Hmm… I won't tease you about it… Since it is your birthday."

I mentally sighed to myself in relief, though, I didn't mind her teasing too much…

"And let me guess, you made yourself a cake?"

I nodded.

"It's chocolate cake too!"

She sighed.

"Too bad I can't eat that… I'll get constipation in my stomach…"

She was right of course, but maybe I could convince the doctor to let me give her some today… Or at least, give her something tomorrow too… It's technically a holiday tomorrow…

"Pierre…"

"Yes?"

"Why were you staring at me before?"

I just smiled at her in reply.

"I was thinking about things is all Natalie… Nothing for you to worry about. They were good thoughts."

"Hmph! I want to know Pierre!" She whined like a spoiled child- which is kind of funny…

"Now Natalie, you can't be acting like a child around me. I already get enough comments for being mistaken as a child. I don't want that to rub onto you."

Instead of the expected anger, she grinned.

"I wouldn't mind you rubbing onto me in any way." She said.

That made my face turn red in embarrassment and made me nervous- the reaction she wanted from me most likely.

"Na-Natalie! Don't say such- vulgar things!"

Yes, I knew what she was indicating. Just because I look like a child, it doesn't mean that I don't know anything about adult things- even if I feel uncomfortable talking or thinking about them…

Just then, I started to hear the sound of- drums it sounded like outside, hitting the roof. It took me a moment to realize that it was raining.

"That's odd… Taro didn't mention that it would rain, did he?"

Natalie shook her head at me.

"Well, I wouldn't be surprised that he is wrong… It is one of those bad luck days." She said.

I shrugged. I guess she was right.

"Now… I want some of that cake." She said.

"Natalie…"

"Just a few bites Pierre! I can't stand eating food that is- chewed or something! It's disgusting!"

I sighed in defeat. I couldn't say no to her. I went back over to the table, taking one thin slice of the chocolate cake and having no choice but to hold it with one hand… Since I forgot to bring plates… I went over to the bedside and I took out a fork from a hidden pocket. I saw her shake her head.

"I want you to use a spoon Pierre… I want to be spoon fed…"

I blinked my eyes at her- confused. I didn't see what was the big difference with which utensil I should use. And then, her awful training of thought hit me.

"Na-Natalie!"

* * *

**Denny's POV**

"Ah man!"

I was inside of my shack, and I looked out my window as soon as I heard the familiar sounds of the rain. I sighed.

"Well, at least I went fishing a little earlier… Maybe the fish _might_ bite by the shore… I just won't go out to sea…" I muttered under my breath.

I turned back around and went to my counter, finishing slicing up one of the fish I caught. I was in the mood for some sashimi, so, I'm making myself some.

My hands took over without my mind being on the task. Instead, my thoughts drifted to yesterday.

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~FLASHBACK~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

_I was in the diner, eating my dinner at my usual table, with Lanna joining me. I kept taking small glances towards Vaughn table- but he just ignored me. Well, he did look at me once- but it wasn't a happy glance… He was still pissed off with me._

_I sighed and decided to look where his gaze kept going- towards Chelsea and Mark's table. For a moment, I was first confused with why he might be looking at their table so much. It took me a moment to realize that Chelsea was ignoring Vaughn. Even the glares that I'm sure she could feel that Vaughn was giving her._

_ "Why is she ignoring him? That isn't like her…" I thought._

_I came up with two explanations. My first explanation was that Chelsea likes hanging with Mark, but Vaughn doesn't like it- therefore they argued about it at some point. Or, Chelsea is mad with Vaughn for that incident concerning Sabrina. My second explanation was more likely to be true._

_ "Denny are you listening to me!"_

_I woke up from my thoughts due to Lanna. And she didn't sound happy…_

_ "I'm sorry Lanna… I was just- lost in thought…"_

_ "I saw you looking at Chelsea! Why are you doing that!"_

_I sighed and briefly looked around, and happy to find out that she didn't draw attention to us._

_ "It's not like that Lanna… I was just worried for Vaughn… Chelsea seems to be upset with him… Vaughn and me got into an argument yesterday and… Well, him and me are not on good terms right now…"_

_ "…. Oh…. Well, it's not like you could do anything about it! So, you're just going to have to leave it be." She said as she took another bite of her yam pudding._

_I sighed in defeat. She was most likely right… But then, a thought hit me. I couldn't help but smile at my idea._

_ "What are you smiling about now!" She demanded._

_I shrugged my shoulders and gave her my most innocent smile that I could make._

_ "Oh nothing! Now, what were you saying about your singing career?"_

_She smiled happily and she started to talk about her possibly going back to her singing career. I listened to her- but I tuned her out as well- still formulating that plan in my mind._

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~END OF FLASHBACK~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

I smiled as the plan I had came back to me.

"It may take a few days to do… But, if it'll get him to do something…" I mumbled to myself.

I looked down and realized that I was done with cutting the fish, luckily not cutting my finger... I picked up a piece and popped it into my mouth. Tasting the meat and salt, most likely the salt came from the sea.

I picked up the rest of the pieces and left my shack with my fishing rod. I still had many hours of the day left to fish… I popped the other pieces into my mouth while looking for a spot to fish, ignoring the rain hitting my skin. The rain wasn't that bad, besides, I love the rain anyway…

I took a spot near the dock and I flicked my fishing rod behind me- then I flung the line into the sea. Though, I thought I saw something black at the end of the line before I cast it into the sea.

"_It must have been my imagination…_"

"HEY!"

I turned towards the voice- and there stood Vaughn- and he looked angry with me.

"Uh…"

"What are you doing! Cast back in your line! Your stupid fishing rod caught my hat!"

I started apologizing to him while I reeled back in my fishing line. Lucky for him, none of the larger fish got to it first. The hat landed on the sand and I unhooked the hook from it. There was water in it, but before I could dump it myself, Vaughn snatched it from my hand. The water from inside the hat spilled out due to his action. He scoffed at me and then he put the hat on his head.

And then, his hat literally started to jump up and down on his head. I was shocked and I was ready to run into my shack while yelling, "Demon hat on the loose!". But, then the hat fell off of his head, and I saw a large fish smacking the top of his head constantly- and him getting annoyed of course while trying to grab the fish off of his head. By instinct, I snatched the fish by its tail, though it continued to wiggle in my hand. I couldn't help but laugh at the whole thing.

"That was wicked! I didn't know that you could catch fish with that hat! Nice catch too!" I said with a smile and still laughing at the whole idea of fishing with a hat.

"_I love Fridays!_"

* * *

**Chelsea's POV**

When I was taking care of the animals earlier, with Mark's help, the animals looked- upset with me. Even though I knew they didn't look like that yesterday…

"_It's because of the day… And for not coming to take care of them on time… Maybe they'll get over it tomorrow…_"

I hope so… One of the chickens pecked me on the hand for no reason- my good hand too… As for Mark, his day wasn't that good either… For some odd reason, some of his crops died and his watch malfunctioned too. And, to make things worse, it started to rain- even though Taro said that it would be a sunny day today…

I sighed. I was right now with Mark at the café drinking something hot.

"You know… Today is Pierre's birthday… His favorite thing to eat is finest curry… But, it's so difficult to make…" Mark said.

I raised an eyebrow at him.

"And let me guess, you want me to make it?"

Mark nodded his head eagerly while a blush formed on his cheeks. I just sighed, already in defeat.

"You have all of the ingredients that I need?"

He nodded his head once again.

"Let's go by my place. You can make it there." He said.

I just nodded my head.

We both headed out of the café and raced back to his house- though he won the race.

"Maybe you'll win next time." He commented after I lost.

He opened the door to his house and we entered together. I immediately headed towards the fridge and took out the ingredients I needed to make the dish. I then took those ingredients and headed into the kitchen, dumping the food onto the counter. I turned on the stove- and that is when everything went wrong…

The stove caught on fire! I tripped on my own feet somehow, and started falling forward- into the flames! But, a hand grabbed me from behind and pulled me back. I knew Mark had caught me and I was panicking… I didn't know if there was a fire extinguisher anywhere- or how to put out the fire if there wasn't one!

Mark on the other hand was calm- or as calm as he could be. He first turned off the switch, though he yelped a little in surprise or pain- maybe both… He then ran into his bathroom, got a towel, soaked it with the water in the shower, and he ran back out. He pretty much threw the towel onto the flames. Luckily the fire was small enough for the towel alone to put it out… If it was any bigger… I decided not to think about it…

"Ah..!" I heard Mark say- in pain.

I looked at him and he was shaking his hand, his gloveless hand…

"_When did he take off his gloves?_" I quickly thought.

"What happened?" I asked with concern

"I burned myself a bit…"

"Let me see your hand."

He stopped shaking his hand and he showed me it. I took his hand in mine, and he did get burned- a small mark that was noticeable and it was red. It wasn't serious though- thank goodness…

"You'll be fine Mark... Where is the peroxide and bandages?"

"In the bathroom…"

I went to the bathroom and found the things I needed in the cabinet. I came back out and he was sitting on his bed, I sat next to him. He reached out to take the things, but I didn't give the things to him.

"I'll do it. Besides, it's my fault for getting you burned."

I ignored his small protests and I opened the bottle of peroxide. I poured some of it on a piece of tissue and patted it on his burn- doing it all of this with my one available hand.

"I'm so sorry… I don't know what happened…"

"My stove never did that before… Wow… This day really is bad luck…" He said.

I put a Band-Aid on the scar and patted it lightly.

"There! You're all good to go!"

He just laughed and shook his head- though his face was red… Maybe that was because of the fire from before?

"Eh… How about we just go visit Pierre and say 'Happy Birthday' to him?"

I nodded my head in agreement. Best to stay away from anything that might be dangerous.

He walked over to his cabinet and opened one of the drawers. He took out a dark blue umbrella. Blue must be his favorite color- almost everything I see him in is in some sort of blue color…

"Unless you want to get wet, want to share this umbrella?"

"Yeah. I don't want to catch a cold." I said.

He smiled and walked to his door. He opened it and then opened the umbrella. As if on cue, the rain started to fall harder. He offered an arm to me.

"Ready madam?" He said in a horrible imitation of a French accent, though funny.

I looped my arm with his.

"Of course." I simple said, with a smile.

He moved a little closer to me, and then we walked together on the path.

I couldn't help but realize how warm he felt. His warmth was creeping onto me, making me feel warm and not really feeling the cold of the rain. And then, I felt his warmth in my hand. I looked down and saw that his gloveless hand intertwined with mine. I couldn't help but look up at him (he is slightly taller than me). He was looking away, his eyes at least were, and his face was red- clearly a blush on his face. But then he gave me a sideway glance and he lightly smiled at me. I couldn't stop the blush that crept onto my own face.

"_What exactly does he see me as…? He doesn't treat me as his partner or employee- but as a friend… No, it seems to be more than that…_"

The answer hit me, and I became nervous. I gently shook my hand to get him to release my hand. I didn't want him to get his hopes up, because I didn't see him as more than a friend. I will admit that he is- cute, thoughtful, very helpful, and honest to the boot. But… I just didn't get that feeling between us… I didn't get a spark or some sense of connection going on. My heart didn't swell every time I see him or anything like that. So, I knew that I didn't like him in that way…

I looked at his face and his eyes had looked away again, the blush no longer on his face. He looked- sad… I already had an idea of why.

We finally reached the hotel- since we figured that Pierre would be visiting Natalie instead of being home alone. Mark closed the umbrella and entered the hotel without looking at me. I sighed to myself as I followed him- I obviously crushed something of his…

"_Well, he had to know that I just don't- see him that way…_"

Mark knocked on the door and I continued to stand behind him.

"Come in."

That was Pierre's voice.

Mark entered first and I just followed behind him. I looked at Pierre and immediately said, "Happy Birthday!" Though, Mark said it at the same time as me. We looked at each other, and he looked away from me quickly. I saw Pierre look from me to him, but he said nothing about it.

"Thanks- guys… I-uh… Made some chocolate cake earlier… Want some?"

I nodded my head eagerly. He just pointed to the table and I ran to the table. I cut myself a slice, and I had no choice but to eat with my hands- there were no plates or utensils to use…

I took one bite, and the rich moist chocolate cake melted in my mouth. It tasted fantastic!

"Oh my Goddess Pierre! This tastes good!" I commented as I continued to eat the cake.

He just smiled and nodded his head once.

"Of course! I am a gourmet!"

I couldn't help but get another slice of cake and eat it greedily. That's going straight to my thighs…

I heard Mark sigh and then he said, "I'll see you around Pierre. And uh, have a good birthday!" He said, with a forced smile obviously.

He then looked at Natalie and said, "Feel better Natalie. I'll be seeing you around too."

And then he left the room. As soon as he left, I saw Natalie turn her head to look at me.

"Wow… What did you do to him? He never refuses anything- especially cake."

I pretended I didn't know. I just hoped my face didn't give me away.

"I don't know. Maybe it's the weather that's making him feel down a bit." I said with a shrug.

"Well, it must be something. He did the same look that my brother does when I say something especially mean to him- though true."

I shrugged my shoulders at her again. I of course knew or at least had an idea of why, but she didn't need to know that…

"Well, how _are_ you feeling Natalie?" I asked.

"Do you _really_ want me to answer that?" She replied back.

I shook my head. She is impossible sometimes.

"So… What are you planning to do on your birthday Pierre?"

"Nothing but- stay here all day…" He replied while twirling his fingers around and around.

"Oh… Well, that sounds- boring." I admitted.

I saw Natalie glare at me. I probably shouldn't have said that…

"Boring? I'm boring Chelsea…? You are saying that after I basically saved your sorry ass! Well, I guess I made a mistake with my actions!" She said.

My face grimaced and I felt very guilty.

"Natalie… I didn't mean that…"

"Then what did you mean!"

I could hear her lose her temper… Better fix this or she might hurt herself…

"I mean that… It must be very boring to be in this room all day… Especially when the weather would be nice on certain days and such… You don't get fresh air and things of that sort… I'm saying you must be bored to death being in one spot all day."

"Of course I am bored to death! But I'm not bored when Pierre comes by or even when annoying Lanna and my cowardly brother come by to see me! They are at least- trying to cheer me up! Despite how much I hate their- pity…! Speaking of which, you haven't seen me at all since that day! In fact, the last time you were here was when you were injured yourself and when Mark forced you to come over**_(2)_**! Talk about doing a good deed and feeling nice about it!"

Natalie did a small motion with her hand, pointing to herself, and she scowled.

"Well guess what! I don't feel good at all for doing a so called 'good deed'! I'm constantly in pain! My back hurts even when the doctor gives me pain killers to subdue the pain! I don't even ask for anything in return for it! I don't even ask for people's pity! But you, I heard you…!"

I had no idea what she was talking about at that point, but, apparently she wasn't finished yet… And I really wished that I didn't say anything to Pierre…

"When you were here lying in a bed, in that bed over there!**_(3)_** All I heard was moaning and groaning and other bullshit from your mouth! Oh-boo-hoo, I can't do my work with only one arm! I can't feed myself either with one arm! You're so full of shit that I want to puke!" She said, and I think she spit on the floor to emphasis her point.

Again, she wasn't finished.

"How _dare_ you complain about your minor injury! At least you can go outside! At least you can move! At least you can still work! At least you are independent! At least you can eat regular food! At least you can go to the bathroom and not use a damn piss bag like do! I can't believe you insulted me you- you….!" She suddenly stopped.

I saw why… Her back was most likely giving her a hard time, because her face changed from anger to slight pain. Though, she stifled her pain by gritting her teeth and sucking in a large amount of air.

But, what she said… She made me feel even guiltier… I wanted to cry… I shouldn't have said or complained about anything… She was right, she must be feeling a lot more pain than me, and I was avoiding her… But, I have my reasons…

"Natalie… I don't come by to see you because… I feel guilty… I feel like it's my fault for your injury… You shouldn't have gotten hurt… I should have gotten hurt… I caused so much pain Natalie… Pierre…"

I looked at him before I continued.

"Pierre is worried about you… Your brother is worried about you… And so are the rest of them… It makes me feel like I'm a monster, but I just couldn't see you Natalie… I just feel so- guilty…"

Natalie said nothing, and Pierre just avoided my gaze. He was trying to comfort Natalie by patting her hand a little. I was just trying to prevent the tears from leaving my eyes. Instead, I sighed. I could see that I wasn't wanted here…

"Well… I'll see you guys later…"

I headed towards the door and opened it to leave.

"Chelsea…"

That was Pierre's voice. But, I ignored him and left instead. I didn't want to hear him apologizing for Natalie's words- because they were true… Harsh, but true…

As soon as I left the hotel, the rain hit me- slowly making my clothes wet. I looked at my injured arm, and I could see the rain starting to seep through the bandages. I remembered that Dr. Trent told me not to get my arm wet for at least a week. But, I at that moment didn't care…

I sighed once again and I began to walk down the path.

"_Today is just not a good day…_"

I figured I might as well go home and- sleep I guess… I shrugged my shoulders. There was not much else for me to do. I could talk to Julia, but I wasn't in the mood- not to mention, I didn't want to see a certain cowboy…

* * *

**Elliot's POV**

I was at home, eating corn soup at the table, and my best friend was sitting across from me… He hadn't said one word to me since he came in- and that was at least 20 minutes or so ago… He was busy just- staring at a wall, obviously troubled about something. I of course wasn't going to rush him to share it… He'll tell me when he is ready…

I sighed to myself, remembering how many times I tripped today- making me break some things and being behind on my work in result… And to make matters worse, it was raining outside… So, once I was done with my food- I had to get back to work… Though, I would like to talk to Mark before then…

I finally heard him sigh, and then he turned to face me. He was finally ready to talk to me.

"Elliot… What did you do to- get Julia to notice you?"

I choked on a piece of corn and I coughed it back out. I rubbed a hand against my neck.

"Huh?" I said, my throat a little sore.

Mark sighed.

"You heard me Elliot."

Wow… He sounded very impatient… Not like him.

"Well, I took your advice Mark. Don't you remember? You asked me to be myself, and it worked."

Mark said nothing. He just put one arm on the table and leaned on the palm of his hand.

"But, what happens if that doesn't work?" He asked.

I was stumped. Was he asking for advice, from me? But, I don't understand… I wouldn't know a thing on how to get a girl's attention. _He_ was the one that gave me advice to get Julia to notice me. And, as far as I know, I have her attention. We spend a lot of time together, when I have free time that is... How would I know!

"_Don't let him down! He came to you for advice! Do something!_" My conscience said.

But, the thing was that I didn't know what to do. So, I told him the truth.

"I don't know Mark… You were the one that gave me advice. What are you thinking?"

Mark just shrugged his shoulders. I was at a lost… What was wrong with him? Why is he so- different…?

"Mark… Did something happen between you and Chelsea?"

Mark sighed again and he closed his eyes.

"You can- say that Elliot…"

"Would you like to tell me?"

I wanted to know what was wrong with him, but it was his choice to tell me or not. He really didn't have to tell me anything if he wanted to.

He sighed again before he spoke, "Well… I did something and Chelsea- shook me off…"

"Okay… What did you do exactly?"

Mark said nothing for at least a full minute. His eyes were still closed.

"We walked together to go see Pierre to say 'Happy Birthday' to him… We shared my umbrella… And I… I held her hand Elliot… I intertwined my hand with hers… And she shook me off… I thought it was okay, because she looked at me and her face turned red but… Then she shook me off…"

I said nothing. Thinking and rethinking of what he said, before I decided to state my own thoughts to him.

"Well… Did she shake you off roughly or more gently?"

I saw Mark frown a bit, but he kept his eyes closed.

"I think she did it- gently… Why?"

"Well… If she didn't want you holding her hand at all, she would have shaken you off more roughly… Also, she could have yelled at you… I think she was just nervous or something…"

Mark finally opened his eyes and he looked me- his optimistic nature coming back just a little… He was beginning to be hopeful, but he wanted to be sure that I believed in my own words. I could tell that he wanted reassurance.

"You… Really think that Elliot?"

I nodded my head without a doubt.

"I think she's nervous because you are her boss Mark. You can't forget that. Some women are nervous about going out with their boss. They're afraid that if the relationship doesn't work out, then they will have problems because the person they dated works with them. And, well, that's bad…"

Mark blinked his eyes at me, confused.

"Elliot… How would you know that?"

My face turned red, I could feel the heat on them.

"We-Well… I know because of my sister… When she was younger, before we came here, she had this friend and I overheard her friend calling her boyish one day. So, Natalie tried being more 'girly' by ordering these books specially made for woman about relationships and stuff… It's one of the only things I remember from it…" I whispered, afraid that someone would overhear me.

Mark raised an eyebrow at me.

"And you read these?"

I nodded my head.

"I-I had to read them… Natalie said that she didn't want to be caught dead reading them. She told me it was another matter for me…"

"_Not to mention, she threaten me too…_"

I felt a little angry remembering that from the past- but I shook the thoughts out of my head.

Mark chuckled and he shook his head, smiling as he said, "Thanks Elliot. I feel better… Maybe I still have a chance…"

He got up from his seat and he happily _skipped_ to the door. He turned to face me and waved at me.

"Thanks again Elliot! You're a real friend!"

He saluted with two of his fingers on his forehead.

"See ya around!" He said happily as he left.

I couldn't help but be proud of myself.

"Huh… You're welcome Mark…" I said to nobody now.

I felt really happy, and it gave me the fuel I needed to finish my work- despite the rain I could hear outside…

* * *

**Shea's POV**

I try to get short friend present. Today is friend birthday- right? I know him. He always in jungle, to hunt for food. So, I try to hunt for him instead. But, it raining… So, I hunt for something else…

I see mushroom on ground.

"Maybe friend like mushroom?"

I pick anyway and smile.

"Friend will like!"

I go home and see Wada.

"I leave to give friend present."

"…..Okay….."

I leave home and run to leave jungle.

Once I leave jungle, I walk on- path? I know friend house at- smell food there all the time. I see friend! Or, thought I see friend… Friend wearing purple… But, not friend… Man I see wear purple, but his skin is like I. Man see me and looked- confused.

"_Who is other man in purple?_"

* * *

**Lanna's POV**

I hate the rain… It makes everything boring and I would be stuck in my house all day. I don't mind the water while fishing, because only a little would splash on me… But the rain, a lot would splash on me… And, to make this day worse, it's Friday the 13th… And that means I would have to be careful of not just the bad luck that is bound to happen, but Denny too… Denny likes to do- pranks sometimes… I know him! He just can't seem to help it!

Just then I heard a knock on my door. I stood up from my table and ran to the door. I opened it, and there was the last person I wanted to see right now- on this day anyway…

Denny smiled at me, his usual grin.

"Hey Lanna!"

"I don't want to talk to you right now." I simply said, being rude.

"Wh-Why not?"

"Because I know you! You'll do- something that'll make me mad!"

Denny laughed.

"But you look so cute when you're mad!"

I pouted, but I couldn't be mad at him for long. So, I sighed and smiled instead.

"Okay, I'll let you out of the rain at least… You'll catch a cold that way…"

"Thanks! But uh…."

I saw him look behind him, and then he looked back at me. I couldn't see what he was looking at, so I waited for him to tell me.

"Can I invite my- friend in too?"

Friend? He couldn't have been talking about Kuu- I don't mind him at all… Not to mention, Kuu is always on his shoulder or on top of his head. But then, I saw someone poke their head from behind Denny. All I could see was the small headband around his spiky brown hair and the markings on his face. I didn't recognize him.

"Denny… Who's that?"

"My friend." He said.

"I can see that! I mean what is his name?"

The boy- no- _man_, stepped in front of Denny a little, making me see him completely. He obviously wasn't from the town- his clothes were not what people would normally wear…

"I Shea. Who you?"

He obviously didn't speak much either, since his sentence was not completely right. But, I could understand him enough.

"My name is Lanna." I said with a giggle.

"Oh… Can I come in?" He asked.

He looked harmless, and Denny seemed to trust him. So, I nodded my head, and he scampered into my house. I looked behind me, and he was looking around, his eyes open wide. I couldn't help but giggle at his expression. I heard the door close behind me.

"Yeah, I saw him along the path there. He looked a little lost. He told me that he is from that jungle there. I never knew there was someone living there…"

"That sounds interesting… So, does he know anyone?" I asked as I saw Shea poke curiously at one of the many pictures of me on my wall.

"He said he is a friend of Mark's. I think he mentioned Pierre too. He mistook me at first to be Pierre… I guess due to the purple bandanna on my head…"

I just nodded my head. Then I looked back at Denny, suspicious now.

"Denny… Why are you here anyway?"

"I came to see you."

"Don't try to be cute this time! So, tell me the truth!"

I saw Shea look at us from the corner of my eyes. Denny sighed and shook his head.

"Well… I came over to see if you want to do a surprise for Pierre. It is his birthday today- right?"

I forgot today was Pierre's birthday. But…

"What are you up to? It's not just his birthday today."

Denny grinned, something he did when he was about to do something mischievous..

"That's true, but let's not waste the day on doing nothing. I have a idea and-"

He pointed to Shea.

"- he can help us."

I thought about it.

"_Well, at least he isn't doing a prank on me…_"

"Okay… I'm in… But, this better not be some prank meant for me!"

He chuckled a little then he bent down and whispered his idea in my ear.

* * *

I opened my green with pink ribbons attached on the sides, umbrella and I walked down the path towards the hotel.

"_He better not be joking or I'll kill him myself!_"

I reached the door and opened it to enter, leaving my umbrella open. I sucked in a large amount of air and breathed it back out, trying to relax to get into the role I needed to act out. I then changed my face expression to one of fear, or I at least I hoped it looked like one, and I opened the door to the room where Natalie resided.

"Pi-Pierre!" I said, pretending to be out of breath.

Pierre looked at me with worry and Natalie did as well, though she hid hers well.

"Wh-What is it Lanna? You look- distressed." He asked.

"Pierre… There is something wrong with your house! I was just looking out the window- and your door was open! I tried to see what or who was inside, but I couldn't see! It was too dark! I think someone is robbing stuff from your house!"

Pierre immediately looked afraid; he didn't try to hide it either. His face looked grim and his eyes were opened wide.

"Oh dear… I hope they're not stealing my cooking stuff…"

I heard Natalie scoff.

"It's probably that nutcase stalker! I told you to put a restraining order on her!" Natalie said, with anger clear on her face.

"You mean Hazel?" Pierre said.

Natalie glared at Pierre.

"How do you know her name?"

"Eh… Let's go Lanna!"

He grabbed my wrist, pretty tight, and he dragged me out of the room. I didn't know he was strong- at least when he wanted to be…

We reached his house, and, as I said, his door was open. Pierre looked at me nervously and then back at the opened door. It looked dark inside of his house.

"Are you sure Lanna that there might be somebody there…?"

I nodded my head. He sighed.

"We-Well… I suppose I'll ch-check…"

He hesitated of course, and then he walked up to his door- while his body was shaking in fear. He then turned to me.

"Ca-Can you wa-walk in with me? Yo-You don't need to be in fr-front of me… Being be-behind me is fine."

I put my hands on my hips and shook my head, ashamed of him. He's like Elliot's former (I think he has changed) self. He can be such a coward.

"I'll be right behind you."

He waited for me to be directly behind him before he sighed in relief. He took a few steps inside and I followed, closing my umbrella behind me.

It was really dark in his house, not one thing could be seen inside- even though the door was open… And hearing the rain outside late in the afternoon wasn't helping either.

Suddenly, the door slammed behind me. I couldn't help but scream in shock mixed with terror. I heard Pierre squeak in terror as well. We stopped our screaming after a few seconds. But then, that was when we heard the sound of footsteps inside of the house. They were hard to hear, the person was being very quiet, and obviously moving quickly- I couldn't see a full glimpse of their shadow...

Suddenly the lights turned on and there was this person in front of us with a bloody looking hockey mask on- and a large knife**_(4)_**. I screamed like there was no tomorrow- something I might not see! I think Pierre screamed as well.

But then, the person laughed- a happy joking type of laughter… Pierre and me stopped screaming at the same time, realizing that the person wasn't who we thought it was. The person took their mask off and the person was- Shea!

Shea laughed some more and I was angry with him. I wasn't told about this part of the plan!

"Shea? Why did you scare us like that! It's not polite to scare people!"

He stopped laughing and he looked at me as if I punched him in the gut.

"No polite…? Lanna mean- no nice?"

I could see his eyes drooping. I calmed down a bit, though I was panicking- he wasn't going to cry was he!

"Now Shea, there is no need to be upset. It's just that not all people find it funny."

He then smiled.

"Oh! Denny say it funny! Denny say food man find funny!" He said cheerfully.

I was angry again. I looked around the house, and sure enough, Denny was in the corner, with his hand over his mouth- trying his best to contain his laughter. But, he couldn't take it anymore, and he burst out laughing.

"OH MAN! You guys should have seen your faces! It's too funny! How could it not be funny!" He said as he continued to laugh.

I could feel my face turning red- and I don't mean from embarrassment either. This time, he has gone too far!

I looked at Shea sweetly.

"Shea… Can I borrow that knife you have?"

Shea smiled and nodded his head. He gave it to me, and that was when Denny stopped laughing.

"Lanna… What are you going to do with that knife?"

I smiled at him and tilted my head to the side slightly, trying to be cute. His eyes opened wide and he moved from the corner- though I don't know how he would be able to run pass me.

I ran towards him with the knife and he somehow ducked around me. I saw him open the door and run out.

"Oh come on Lanna! It was only a little joke! And- watch out with that knife! It's real!"

I ignored his protests and ran after him.

"Lanna! I was only kidding! And put that knife down! That knife is a gift for Pierre! I got it for him! Lanna! Are you listening to me!"

I continued to ignore him, and chased him instead. I'm not going to really kill him of course, but he needed a taste of his own medicine for a while.

* * *

**Vaughn's POV**

I was at the hotel, changing out of my wet clothes for a set of dry clothes that were almost an exact replica of my wet ones. I was pissed off of course… This day was just- horrible… Should have expected it… Based on the day and all… Wait a minute! I don't believe in superstitions! So, it had nothing to do with the date- it's just not my day is all…

"_You're not only frustrated about the events from today…_" My conscience said.

As much as I didn't want to hear my conscience right now, I couldn't push it away. The events from today were starting to take a toll on me, making me feel extremely tired. I was still- thinking, at least a little, of why Chelsea would be mad at me… She didn't see me either today… Not that I care if she sees me or not, but still… I shook my head, and almost had the strong urge to bang my head against the wall.

"_I don't have time for this! If she wants to be mad at me! Fine! I don't care! I don't care what she thinks anyway!_"

"_Oh yes you do…_" My conscience said.

I sighed through my nose and sat on the bed, closing my eyes as well. And then, I remembered that weird experience we had at the hotel when she- broke her arm… That eye exchange we almost had… I growled in annoyance and fell flat onto the bed.

"_I don't care… I don't care…! I don't care damn it!_"

Why must my life be so damn difficult?

* * *

**Chelsea's POV**

I woke up to the sound of knocking on my door.

I rubbed a hand across my eyes, to get rid of the tiredness a little. I lazily got out of the bed and headed towards the door. I opened it, and there stood Denny- soaked to the bone. I could see that it was still raining behind him.

"Hey Denny… How can I help you?"

He looked behind himself for a second before he looked back at me.

"I just came by to ask you if you want to hang out together for the next few days… Starting tomorrow would be nice."

I scratched the back of my head, still too tired to care or to think clearly. I was still upset about earlier… Though, why would he hang out with me so much when he has Lanna…? I don't know… I just hope I'm not getting myself into something.

"Um... Sure Denny. I don't see why not."

He smiled at me, his usual smile and then he turned away from me slightly.

"That's awesome! I'll be seeing you starting tomorrow then!" He said happily with a thumbs up, and then he left- waving goodbye to me from his back.

I shook my head.

"_What was that about?_"

I decided not to dwell on it. Denny is just that kind of guy that wants to just- hang out with people.

I shrugged my shoulders, closed my door and headed towards my double-sized bed. But, before I could fall back on it, something told me to go look at the calendar on my wall. I again shrugged my shoulders and headed towards my calendar. I looked at it- and I nearly fell onto the floor. Denny said he wanted to hang out starting tomorrow… But, tomorrow is- Spring Thanksgiving… The day guys give gifts to girls…

"_I don't understand… Why is he hanging out with me when he should be hanging out with Lanna tomorrow?_"

I felt more tired than before.

"_What exactly is going on…!_"

**_TO BE CONTINUED…_**

* * *

**BONUS**

* * *

**Title:** **_The Thimble_**

**By:** kitty868theonly

**Rating:** K; Even a little kid could read this…

**Type of Story:** Harvest Moon: Island Of Happiness; Eliza X Charlie; **Oneshot (Eliza's POV)**; Humor & 'Romance'.

**Quick Summary:** Charlie and Eliza are playing tag on the beach. But, Eliza falls down and stumbled upon a thimble. She doesn't know what it is or what it is supposed to do. She later looks up information about it. What does she find? And what will she do with this new knowledge?

**Character's Presented (in Order of Appearance):** Eliza, Charlie, Sabrina, and Denny.

**Started On & Completed Date:** October 15, 2009 (Start Date) & October 16, 2009 (Complete Date)

**Total Pages:** 06

**WARNING:** This oneshot has **_NOTHING_** to do with the story above. I wanted it to be, but it just won't make sense right now due to the weather alone and a couple of other purposes… Anyway, this one was created because I can't seem to fit these two adorable yet silly kids into my story (yet). So, I'll give them a whole oneshot of their own.

* * *

**Eliza's POV**

"Charlie! You're cheating!"

He just kept on running, kicking a little sand up into the air with the sand hitting me a little each time. Every time I am close to catching him, he somehow dodges my hands and runs pass me. But, my chance came when he suddenly fell.

"I got you now!"

But I was wrong… When I tried to tag him, he just rolled away from me, stood back up, and continued his running. I pouted as I tried to catch him again.

"Come on Eliza! You'll never catch me at the speed you're going!"

"That's because you are cheating!"

"I am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are-"

I tripped and I fell face first onto the sand. I groaned in pain, and I felt like crying. But, I didn't cry. I didn't want Charlie thinking that I was weak!

I put both of my hands on the sand to get back up, but that was when I thought I saw something shiny. I instantly reached for it and picked it up. I couldn't tell what it was- it was still covered in a lot of sand. I shook the sand off and then I looked at it again. It was in the shape of a small cup and it had tiny holes all over it. It could fit over my pinky! And, it was shiny, a silver coating that made it shine. I still didn't know what it was though.

"Eliza? Are you okay? You haven't gotten back up yet…"

I saw Charlie walk towards me, obviously worried that I might have gotten hurt. I pretended that I didn't hear him.

"_Just a little more…_" I thought as I quickly tucked the strange item into a hidden pocket in my dress, to look at it more closely later.

When he got close enough to me, I instantly tagged him and I ran.

"You're it now!"

"Eliza! That's cheating!" He complained.

But then he laughed a few seconds later anyway.

"Well, I'll admit that it was smart." He said, while trying to catch me.

But then, he suddenly stopped and groaned in disappointment.

"Oh! Sorry Eliza, but I got to get back to the shop to work… I'll see you later to play okay?"

He then waved a goodbye to me and then he left. I was left there alone on the beach. Once I was sure that he was gone, I took back out the item and looked at it again. But, no matter how hard I looked at it, I didn't know what it was. So, I thought of the only person that might have information on it…

* * *

I knocked on the door as hard as I could. I couldn't reach the doorbell, I was too short… Not that long after, the door opened and I saw that quiet girl that always wears an ugly pink sweater with her big old and round glasses... I secretly think she is an old lady that is trying to look young.

"Ye-yes… How can I he-help you?" She said in a low voice.

"My name is Eliza, and I heard that you have books here."

The lady nodded her head in reply.

"Are there any books about this that I can read?"

I showed her the item. She looked at it through her big old glasses.

"J-Just a second…"

She closed the door and went back inside. I guess to get me that book that would help me… She did come back shortly after. She handed me the book. I looked at the cover of it. There was a boy wearing green and he had this funny shaped hat on his head. The boy was standing by the open window and he was pointing to some star in the sky. The boy must be saying something to the girl, because she was facing him… But, the girl's face wasn't shown… The words on the book read, 'The Story of Peter Pan'

"Will this book tell me what this is?" I asked the strange lady.

The lady simply nodded her head.

"Re-Return that whenever you want…"

And then she just closed the door. I shrugged my shoulders and I started to skip to my house with the book swinging in the hand.

* * *

I was at my desk, reading the picture book the lady gave me. It wasn't hard to read, and it wasn't long either. Most of the pages were pictures. I was almost done reading it.

So far, the story was kind of sad… The boy, Peter Pan, would always come by the girl, Wendy's, house to play because she refused to go with him to Neverland- a place where no children will ever become an adult and have responsibilities. Peter Pan wasn't alone back in Neverland, because he had 'The Lost Boys' as his friends and a fairy. But, he somehow felt alone, and he said he felt at ease with Wendy. As for Wendy, she was alone, not counting her mother and father or her dog that she can play with- but she felt alone because she didn't have many friends that understood her. Many people thought she was strange and weird. But, when Peter was around, she felt happy.

I then blushed, as I read the ending of the book. The item I found is called a 'thimble'. In the story, Wendy used the thimble to make Peter stay with her forever so that she wouldn't be alone anymore. She didn't force Peter to stay with her; he wanted to stay with her too. So, Wendy put the thimble on her pinky and she kissed Peter on the cheek, and the magic of the thimble made him stay- and they lived happily ever after.

I closed the book and put it on my desk. I'm glad that I now know what the item is that I found… But, the story also made me think of sad things…

Neverland sounds like a fun place… If Charlie was offered to go- would he go…? I pouted, knowing Charlie, he would! Because there are wonderful things there, adventure and other things that he dreams about- things he tells me that he wishes to see one day when he is a little older…

"_What happens if Charlie is being offered to go in the future…? I know he would go- but what about me? Would he- leave me alone…?_"

That thought only made me sadder. If he leaves, I'll be alone… I'll have nobody to play with…

I looked at the thimble I found on my desk, it was just sitting there- alone… Like I would probably be in the future…

"_Charlie… I don't want you to leave… I don't want to be alone…_"

* * *

"You want me to meet you at the beach later?" Charlie asked me.

I just nodded my head.

"Oh… Aren't we going to try to play with Pierre?"

I shook my head.

"Oh… Well, I'll see you there Eliza!" He said with a smile.

* * *

I was sitting on the sand, near the edge where the water would come close, but not close enough to ruin my dress. I heard footsteps behind me; I didn't even have to look to know that it was Charlie.

"Huh? Eliza, why are you sitting down? Don't you want to play tag?"

I shook my head and I bit my lip, but I don't think he noticed my distress. I imagined him shrugging his shoulders, and then I saw him take a seat next to me.

"So, what do you want to do…?"

"….. Charlie… Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, of course!"

"Have you heard of- Neverland?"

I looked at him to see his reaction. But, he looked confused.

"I don't know that place…"

He laughed a little and said, "And I travel a lot with my dad!"

I said nothing in reply.

"So, what is Neverland?"

I explained to him what it was, and as I expected, he liked the sound of the place.

"Wow… I would like to go to such a place… It sounds like fun…"

I felt like crying, but I didn't.

"So… You would leave me alone…?" I asked him, almost wanting to cry again.

He looked at me, and then he blinked his eyes.

"Of course not Eliza! You're my friend! We can both go!"

"But… What happens if only one of us can go? Would you still go?"

He shook his head without a second thought.

"Of course not Eliza! It wouldn't be nice of me to leave a friend here!"

I felt _very_ happy. Charlie looked away from me and he looked at the ocean.

"_Now is my chance to make sure of that…_"

I took out the thimble from my pocket and put it on my pinky. I then looked at his face; he was still facing the ocean- perfect…

As I saw in the book I read, I kissed him on the cheek. It was a quick one. I pulled away from his cheek and I looked at his face.

He was looking at me _now_. But, for some reason, his face was red and his eyes went really wide. He then stood up quickly and took a step back away from me.

"_Did I do something wrong?_"

He pulled on the end of the headband that is always around his head.

"Uh… I-I forgot to do something El-Eliza…! We-We'll play la-later…! Okay?"

He then ran off, I guess to go to the shop. I giggled, because now I know I'll never be alone.

Without either one of them noticing, Denny saw the whole thing from his shack. He chuckled to himself and smiled at what he saw.

"Such cute kids." He commented.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S COMMENTS/NOTES**

* * *

Well… I'm mad at myself… I had a once in a life-time (with this story anyway) of having a 'known' bad luck day be in the story- and I pretty much blew it… But, as much as I wanted bad things or a certain bad event happen in the story on that day, I couldn't bring myself to do it- at least- not yet. It just wasn't time or something for certain things to happen… Don't worry; I know what I'm doing…

Now, I haven't forgotten about Mark's strange phone call from the last chapter- but it won't be revealed here in this chapter obviously- or the next one… I believe, if I did it right, that you guys will find out on the chapter after the next one (In Chapter 8 I believe it will be).

And now, in this chapter, Denny is doing something strange with Chelsea… I have my reasons for his strange behavior… His actions will be revealed in the future as well. If I did it right- most likely in Chapter 8… Though indications of it will most likely be revealed in the next chapter…

Let's see… Well, the argument with Natalie and Chelsea wasn't originally supposed to happen, but my sub-conscience did it again… So, I kept it in the end… Also, the little 'love-dovey' scene between Natalie and Pierre, I was trying to save it for the next chapter, but, all well… It happened in this chapter instead… I'll just have to come up with something else instead… Another thing, the dog scene with Vaughn- I'm not sure if what he did will actually work… So, if you see hungry dogs- especially three… I would most likely run- though probably not a wise move… I don't know what to do truthfully if I was stuck in such a situation… Best to ask an animal expert when I get the chance…

Oh yeah, and the flashbacks! When was the last time I used that format? Oh yeah- back in Chapter 1 ×D Which is quite a while back- or far enough back that is… And, another thing- the incident with Denny's fishing rod and him hooking Vaughn's hat and 'throwing' it into the sea- I ALWAYS wanted to do that! ×D Well, I always imagined it in my head anyway… I imagined that scene in my head since I began this story (a little before then too)! Though, I wasn't planning on using that scene so soon… I was planning to use it for- another scene in the future… So, in the future, if you see a repeat of this in the future (in the story itself or in a bonus)- don't be too surprised about it…

As for the bonus between Eliza and Charlie- those two just make me laugh! I heard some people don't seem to like Eliza, though they like Charlie. I guess I like her because she reminds me of my own little sister. ×D It's kind of weird, because when my sister was a little younger then she is now. I remember commenting that she was so cute and she replied with the following answer, "I know!" ×D She's too adorable- not to mention a lot of confidence in herself. Not a bad thing really- I can see that's she's going to be a little of a pain when she's my age- or when she's in high school ×D My poor dad… ×D Anyway, I haven't had the chance to put these two kids in my story much, I mentioned Charlie- like- once, but not Eliza I don't think… So, I gave them both their own little oneshot to make up for it… That is, until they do have a chance in my story.

A final, and somewhat important, note… When I am done writing this story, I will make a 'remake' of it. It's not really a 'remake'; it's more like- splitting up the chapters more. In other words, the chapters will appear shorter, but they're really not (the person will still need to read 200 and more pages in total). I will NOT do it with this one, because this is the 'original' one. The second one will be the 'second edition' one… One of the differences it will have (compared to this one) is that there will be no 'BONUS' at the end. There will be other differences as well from this one, but not major ones that will change the story or anything like that. So, those of you that want the shorter one- you will have to wait until this one is COMPLETE. So, what happens if I take a year or something like that before this is finished? Then I guess you would have to wait for a year- or just read this one… I'm doing this for the people that are too laz- I mean- that don't have the time to read this one all in one shot (though, I never really asked you too ×D). Usually I don't do this either- but I guess I can do it this once- since it is a story and not oneshots after all…

On to the numbers! Again, there isn't many this time…

**(1)** _…little mouse_: I think every family member has some sort of 'nickname' for their family members- whether it is siblings or parents… Since Sabrina is— Sabrina, then I thought this 'nickname' would fit her… Truthfully, I was reading a fictional book, and the father in the book kept referring to his daughter as 'my little mouse' (or close to it). And, I find it strange because I know my family doesn't call me that ×D It's none of your business what they call me… It's too personal and funny ×D Anyway, it seemed to fit her. So, that is what she is.

**(2)** _… Mark forced you to come over_: Let's review a bit… Back in Chapter 4, Mark let Chelsea go around and hand out gifts to everyone- due to it being 'Fun Monday' and all. In another, Mark practically dragged Chelsea with him to see Pierre, who was visiting Pierre, about her cooking dish, which was only last chapter (Chapter 5). So, Natalie is right about this point… And the other time was when she injured her arm- which was also in the last chapter (Chapter 5). I mentioned that there was another bed next to hers with someone occupied there- I never mentioned who it was- though I made it obvious in Chapter 4 who it was. But, I hoped it was obvious that it was Natalie- most likely sleeping there (a heavy sleeper isn't she?), hence why she was quiet during all of those— scenes…

**(3)**_ … here lying in a bed, in that bed over there!_: Same point as before- see number (2).

**(4)** _… hockey mask on- and a large knife_: Come on… You can't blame me for making a reference to Jason and Michael Myers! I'm use to Jason carrying a very large machete as a weapon; therefore I link the knife reference to Michael instead of Jason! Although, in the original film, Jason used a knife… I believe… Wow, I haven't seen that movie in years… Anyway, I always liked the original movies- some of the remakes are crap! Uh… I won't discuss no further about my feelings for movies…

**_THANK YOU ALL FOR REVIEWING (And to those that read anonymously)!_**


	8. Chapter 7, Howaito De

**Chapter 7, Howaito De**

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**SPRING 14TH – SATURDAY**

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**Chen's POV**

"Morning guys! Just because it is a special holiday for some of you lucky ones today, I opened my shop early!" I said to the guys now in my store.

"Thank you for that Chen." Elliot said to me.

I just nodded my head and smiled slightly.

"No problem! I made sure that I ordered more than enough of chocolate bars and oil! So, shop for as much as you want!"

Denny beamed at me.

"Good thing you did… Sometimes I mess up with my creations…" He said, his face frowning just a bit.

Just then, the door to my shop opened- and in walked in Mr. Cowboy man himself! I hardly see him in my shop- except when he wants to buy a chocolate bar for himself- he has a sweet tooth that one…

Denny seemed to look just as surprised as me.

"Vaughn! Dude, what are you still doing on the island? I thought-"

"My boss told me to stay- or he'll fire me." Vaughn responded.

Denny smiled at him.

"Well, I can understand that. But, what are you doing here- and on White Day**_(1)_** of all days?"

I saw Vaughn face go just a little red before he pulled the rim of his hat down to cover his face.

"I-I don't have to answer you Denny…"

Denny just lightly laughed at him.

"Don't feel embarrassed Vaughn, we're all here. Us guys have to stick together you know." He responded.

Denny was right. I had every young man in my shop this early in the morning. There was Elliot, Denny, Mark (who has been very quiet for some reason), Pierre, that young jungle guy, Shea, and now Vaughn. Vaughn seemed to notice that Denny was right. Vaughn seemed to focus on one person in my shop though.

"Hmph! He's here too? Wouldn't you be prepared already rancher?" Vaughn said, though he sounded bitter.

I assumed he was talking to Mark, because Chelsea wasn't in my shop at the moment. Mark didn't respond to Vaughn. He instead took the items he needed and he walked up to the counter where I stood behind it.

"I'll take these Chen. That's 800G in total right?"

I simply nodded my head, concerned with his emotionless tone.

"Yes. That's correct."

He handed me the exact amount of gold, picked up his stuff and he headed for the exit. He turned around once to face someone.

"I'll see you around Elliot." He said, with a forced smile it looked like.

And then he just left my shop- not even saying 'goodbye' to me or 'thanks' or anything else he would usually say when he would buy things from my shop. I heard someone sigh.

"Vaughn, why do you have to pick a fight with Mark? What has he ever done-"

"If you're not him, then it's none of your damn business nerd." Vaughn snapped at Elliot.

I saw Elliot frown slightly, getting a little angry… If things get a little out of hand, I will have no choice but to kick them out of my shop- whether they are done shopping or not…

Elliot turned away from Vaughn, he snatched the items he wanted in a hurry and then he came to the counter.

"I'll take these things. How much?"

I looked at how many chocolate bars and bottles of oil he had in total, doing the math in my head.

"That'll be 1,500G."

He nodded his head, went through his pockets for the money and then he put it on the counter, making sure it was the right amount.

Once he was sure, he handed the exact amount to me.

"Thank you, please come again." I said to him.

He simply nodded his head, took his items and he left in a hurry- not taking a glance at Vaughn I noticed…

Denny sighed.

"You know Vaughn, he was just concerned with-"

I saw Vaughn glare at Denny.

"Don't talk to me! I'm stilled pissed off with you for taking Mark's side and for yesterday too!" He snapped.

I had no idea what they were talking about, but it obviously made Vaughn mad and Denny look- worried I guess… Denny sighed again, and then he went back looking through the items in my shop.

"Hmmm…. How many I buy Denny?" Shea asked him.

Denny faced Shea and then they started talking about money it looked like. I was forced to not focus on their conversation when Pierre came to the counter.

"I'll take this much."

As I expected, Pierre would buy way more stuff then he needed. All the items he wanted covered most of the counter.

"How much?" He asked.

I sighed and I started to sift through the items, counting them along the way.

"That'll be… 3,060G in total."

Pierre went through his pockets to get the money. It took him a while, but he managed to give me all of the money. Once he did, he looked at all of the items on the counter and sighed. He obviously didn't know how he was going to carry all of his stuff to his house.

"Food man need help?" Shea asked him.

Pierre sighed again.

"My name is Pierre Shea... But, yes, I would be very happy if you helped me!" He beamed with a smile.

Shea took as many of the items that he could carry and Pierre picked up whatever Shea couldn't carry.

"Thanks Shea! I'll tell you what, since you helped me carry this stuff, I'll give you a few of these items. How does that sound?"

Shea jumped up and down excitingly, reminding me of Charlie- who was sleeping in the back still… It was still early after all…

"I happy!" He stated.

Pierre and him left my shop, though Shea faced Vaughn before he left.

"Bye Mark friend!" He said with a smile, and then he left my shop.

Now there was only Denny and Vaughn left in my shop.

Denny gave Vaughn a quizzical look.

"Mark friend? What is he talking about?" He asked Vaughn.

"I met him on the road once… He thought I was Mark's friend for some odd reason…"

After that, Vaughn pretty much ignored Denny. He just walked over to where I displayed the chocolate bars, something that I am doing only for today due to the day; usually they are behind my counter… Not to prevent any thief from taking my stuff- I know nobody around here is one… But to make sure that my son didn't sneak any chocolate bars for himself.

"I'll take this many…" Vaughn said, now at the counter with the items he wanted.

"Hmmm… That'll be 500G."

He gave me the exact amount of gold, tipped his hat at me, and then he left. Denny lifted his hand to wave bye to his friend (I guess), but Vaughn ignored him and left. I then heard Denny sigh and he shook his head.

"He's sore at me now, but he won't be forever…" He said, strangely with a small smile on his face.

I decided to not ask what he meant. I like talking with Denny, since we both like fish in some form- though I don't like them as much as him… He then took what he needed and then he walked up to the counter as well.

"How much Chen?"

"That'll be 500G."

He handed me the gold and then he turned away from the counter with the stuff still in his arms. He looked back at me and smiled.

"See ya around Chen. And thanks for opening early."

He then left. I sighed out loud and went to the back of the shop. I opened early, but I was still tired. I figured I might as well take a nap, maybe even close the shop early- I highly doubt anybody would come by later today.

* * *

**Chelsea's POV**

"That's strange… I haven't seen Mark since I came…" I mumbled under my breath as I continued to brush Dash.

I not only didn't see Mark. I didn't see the lights on at his house either…

"_Why hasn't he come out yet? He can't be elsewhere… The shops don't open until at least 7AM…_"

And then, I remembered what day it was.

"_Hmmm… I guess he would celebrate that today… Well, I guess I'll be expecting some giri-choco**(2)** from him…_"

"_I don't think so… Not after that little hand holding thing he did yesterday…_" My conscience replied.

I stopped brushing Dash with my one hand and I sighed. Yeah… I remember that scene from yesterday. But, I don't think he would dare give me honmei-choco**_(3)_**. We only have known each other for…

I put the brush back in my rucksack and I counted on my one hand. Counting the days from when I first arrived on the island and started to work for him.

"_Let's see… It has been 10 days… Not counting today either…_" I thought.

Wow… Only 10 days passed by… And it feels like a month went by… Well, not really, but still… I sighed and I left the stable.

"Guess I'll have to do what I can do and wait for him to help me later…"

I then walked over to the chicken coop and began my work there.

* * *

**Mark's POV**

I was going to give Chelsea honmei-choco… Usually the tradition would be the women would give the men their chocolates first (being honmei-choco or giri-choco), back in winter, and then the men reply with their own in spring… But, since Chelsea wasn't here during the winter… I was basically in a tight spot…

"_Maybe I'm going too fast with this…_" I thought.

But… I wanted Chelsea to know how I felt about her… Maybe I won't do it directly, but at least she'll know indirectly- kind of… Even if I had only known her for a few days, she still- made me feel so… She made me feel like my heart would burst sometimes… There were times when I just wanted to stop her work and just shout at her how I felt… I wouldn't say that I- love her… It's too soon… Love can't happen this fast- even I knew that… Although, my dad told me once that when he met mom… He said that he just- _knew_ he met his true love when he just saw her… For the very first time…

Now that I think about it… I felt very disoriented when I first met Chelsea, when she came off of the boat that day- but in a good way… Is that what my father felt when he first met my mother? I sighed and I rubbed my fingers against my forehead.

"_This is so complicated…! If I give her honmei-choco, she may not take them and then never talk to me again… If I give her giri-choco, then she might be disappointed, because what if she does have some sort of feelings for me, but was waiting to see if I felt the same for her…?_"

I smacked the top of my forehead a couple of times… This was _really_ complicated…!

"_You know very well that she has no feelings for you. Remember yesterday? Let me help you out- the umbrella?_" My conscience said to me.

I pushed any thoughts that appeared to answer my conscience. Elliot's advice from yesterday sounded true, and his advice made sense. If I showed her that I was willing to take that chance- then maybe she will too! I think I have a chance with her!

"_Despite all of the evidence against you? You're a fool!_" My conscience responded to my happy and positive attitude.

I for once ignored my conscience. I was so consumed with my happiness and the possibility of being with Chelsea, that I didn't even think of any of the negative things my conscience was implying to me.

"_Today is going to be great! I can feel it!_"

* * *

**Elliot's POV**

It just turned 7AM, and I finished making the chocolate cookies, while the rest of the chocolate I was planning to give out were still on the kitchen counter. For once, I didn't mess up the cookies- I got them right on my first try!

I placed the still hot cookies on another empty space on the counter. I took the chocolate bars and I held them as best as I could in my arms.

"Well… Time to hand them out…"

I left the house and I immediately started to head to the ranch. It would be easier to go to her first, since she would be working now most likely.

I was right, I found her in the barn. Though, she looked a little frustrated. She turned towards me, away from a cow, and then she smiled.

"Hey Elliot."

I waved to her with my free hand.

"Morning Chelsea."

I walked up to her and handed her a chocolate bar. She just smiled and took it without a second thought.

"Thanks Elliot! I'll eat this later if you don't mind."

She put the bar into her rucksack, and then her smile faded. She sighed in frustration and she faced the cow again.

"What's wrong Chelsea?"

She sighed again before she replied, "I can't milk this cow with one hand Elliot is what's wrong. Mark hasn't shown up yet to help me…"

I already had an idea of why he didn't show up yet… He was most likely making cookies for Chelsea. Though, I'm not sure if he would be making chocolate cookies or just plain cookies**_(4)_**… I hope he wasn't going to far… Or, knowing him, he would be trying to figure out what to give to Chelsea- cookies or just the chocolate bar? I felt sorry for Mark… I hope he'll be okay…

"I'll help you if you want." I told her.

She looked at me skeptically.

"You know how to milk a cow?"

My face turned red in embarrassment.

"N-No… I don't like milk very much to tell you the truth… But, I can try. That counts right?"

I heard her sigh in defeat.

"Sure Elliot. Have a go…"

She then took out the milker from inside of her rucksack and she handed it to me. I put the chocolate bars into the front pockets of my outfit and I got to work.

Of course, the first time around, the cow was being a little difficult and kept moving. And then I had a hard time trying to get the milker onto its udders. Then, when I accomplished that, I tried to milk it (and a big silver gallon-tank appeared out of nowhere- literally), and I was doing fine, but I kept spilling some here and there- missing the gallon tank. Not only that, after I finished, Chelsea told me that I should have been able to make 10 gallons of milk- not one.

I chuckled nervously at all of my screw-ups, but, she didn't seem to be that disappointed about it. She was just glad that I came along on time. Because she was afraid that Mark won't see her until at least another hour passed by…

"You're welcome." I told her.

I then waved goodbye to her and left. I heard the door open again, guessing she was leaving as well, and we (with her behind me) headed towards the exit of the farm. I took a left, going towards Mirabelle's shop… Where Julia resided… But, once I got there, I instead passed right by it… I wanted to hand out the chocolate bars first… And then come back to Julia's… Besides, I didn't have the chocolate cookies with me anyhow…

I ended up in East Town of course. I walked up to Sabrina's mansion and I touched the doorbell. I heard the familiar ringing sound and I waited.

And waited.

And waited.

And waited.

But, nobody came to the door… I sighed and I shook my head a little.

"_I should have known that she wouldn't come to the door… She's too shy to take anything directly…_" I thought.

So, I took out a marker that I always keep in the front pocket of my green apron, and I wrote my name on the chocolate bar, and under my name I wrote, 'Have a nice White Day.'

I opened the mailbox she had and I looked inside. And, surprisingly, there was already one chocolate bar inside. I was confused, because I knew that Mark couldn't have done it. As far as I knew, Chelsea said that she hasn't seen him yet. He would likely be inside of his house still.

"_Maybe Denny or Pierre?_"

There was a small note attached to it, but I couldn't read it, the mailbox was still a little too dark to see inside of it clearly. I finally just shrugged my shoulders and put my own chocolate bar inside, next to the other one already in there.

I then turned away and immediately went to Lanna's house. I was hoping that I wasn't interrupting anything, because most likely Denny would be there- or not… I don't usually see him around until 9AM or later… I again shrugged my shoulders and I knocked on her door anyway.

I waited, but I didn't have to wait for long. The door opened and there stood Lanna. Her face was lit up with a big smile, but then she slightly frowned when she saw me. I guess she wasn't expecting me…

"Oh… Hey Elliot…"

I simply handed her the chocolate bar. Truthfully, I hardly knew her at all- if at all. But, Denny was such a nice guy, so I thought it wouldn't hurt to give his- girlfriend (?) a chocolate bar. He'll understand I'm sure.

Her smile returned, but only a little. She took the bar and looked at me.

"Thank you Elliot. Though, I'm angry that Denny hasn't seen me yet!" She then frowned more and made this pouting face- one I seen many times when Denny angered her (which is quite often now that I think about it).

She thanked me once again and then she closed the door in my face. I sighed and then I headed back towards West Town- to go to my house.

I reached my house, entered it, and I took the chocolate cookies I had made earlier off of the counter. I looked around for that spare basket, and I found it. I arranged the cookies in a certain way in the basket and then I covered it with white linen. I took one deep breathe, and then I left the house once again with the basket.

I turned towards the barn and I opened the door, the bell above me making that familiar ringing noise. And to my joy, I could only see Julia in the room, behind the counter- I guess taking over for her mother for a while… Her cousin, Vaughn, was nowhere to be seen. Thank the Goddess… He made me feel uncomfortable sometimes, especially when I try to be romantic with Julia in any form in the shop… Though, it's not much…

She smiled, her pearl white teeth showing, towards me.

"Elliot! Good morning!"

She is so energetic sometimes and always seems happy- something that kind of rubbed onto me... Also, something I admired about her, in a good way.

I put the basket onto the counter, and I could feel my face turning red.

"Th-These are for y-you…"

She made me so nervous all of the time, with her beautiful face and her calm blue eyes.

I held in my breath as she opened the basket, hoping that she would like the cookies I made. She smiled at the batch and then she giggled.

"Oh Elliot! These look good to eat! I can't wait to try them!"

I finally let the air out of my lungs, in relief. Just then, the door that lead to the barn (I been there a few times with Julia to help her), and in walked in her cousin… Great…

He looked around and then he approached the counter and looked into the basket. He then looked at Julia and said, "Careful Julia. You don't want to eat anymore of those. Otherwise you'll get fat and have to wear even more revolting clothing."

Julia pouted at him and said, "Shut-up Vaughn!"

And then, she smiled… That slick type of smile when she had a clever comeback forming in her head.

"Besides, shouldn't you be making chocolate cookies for a certain cheery rancher? She likes sweets too."

That sentence caught me by surprise. The only ranchers that I knew of on the island were Mark and Chelsea… She obviously wasn't talking about Mark- those two hate each other's guts… So she had to be talking about Chelsea… Well, that can't be good… I know Mark likes Chelsea, since he told me himself, but if someone else liked her- especially Vaughn… Well, that _definitely_ wasn't good…

I decided to ask Julia once he was gone… That way we would have a little more privacy…

Vaughn scowled at Julia and then he left the shop altogether. I now had the chance.

"What did you mean by that statement Julia? Does Vaughn- _like_ Chelsea?"

"Let's not talk about _Vaughn's_ 'love' life… Let's worry about ours…" She said the last thing sweetly, and turning her shoulders at me in a certain way.

My face turned red in result, a reaction I'm sure she wanted from me.

"O-Of course Julia!"

I guess I'll just have to speculate about Vaughn and Chelsea… And I prayed to the Goddess silently that it wasn't true… Mark liked her too much…

* * *

**Pierre's POV**

Making the chocolate cookies for Natalie wasn't hard. The hard part was putting different designs on them. Or rather, coming up with a different idea for each cookie. I am merely a gourmet, not an artist.

So far, a few of them were in different shapes with a few designs on them. I made ones shaped as stars, vegetables that I have seen, animals, and other things. The designs on them would be different and simple- like swirls or dots or even small stars.

I worked on the last cookie, putting a design on it using vanilla icing. I don't like being repetitive, but I ran out of ideas, so I used the swirl design again on the last cookie.

"Finished!" I yelled happily that I accomplished it all in one try.

I looked around for that little basket I made completely out of chocolate that I melted, smoothed out, and cooled down. I saw it on the table. I decided to take the cookies to the basket and I arranged the cookies in a certain shape. If I used the right colors and made enough- it should all come together to make Natalie's face. I finally stepped back to look at my hard work, trying to see if I did it right.

To my delight, I did it right!

I took the chocolate made basket off of the table and I headed towards the hotel. Usually I would give out everyone else their chocolate bars first and then go to Natalie, but, she deserved to be first after what happened to her… Not to mention how aggravated she is from yesterday still- kind of…

I opened the door to the hotel and entered Natalie's room without knocking (she told me not to knock anymore- if it's me that is). And, to my surprise, she was up.

"Natalie! Why are you up so early! You need your rest!"

She waved a hand at me, ignoring my concern for her. I instead sighed and shook my head at her. No point arguing… I lifted the chocolate basket and showed it to her. She smiled at the basket.

"What's that Pierre?" She asked, pretending to not know.

"Natalie, this is _yours_. Everything in here is yours. So, when I see Dr. Trent today, we'll just convince him to let you have this anyway. Ignoring what happened yesterday…" I said, thinking about the small piece of cake she had- she did get cramps after eating it…

She just giggled lightly and then she closed her eyes. I put the basket onto the table and walked to the bedside to look at her.

"Pierre… You try too hard… Why did you make the whole basket out of chocolate…? That must have taken an hour or two at least to make."

I shook my head.

"No matter. It was all worth it."

"Hmm… And let me guess, the cookies are inside of the basket as well?"

I nodded my head.

"You're right on the dot. But, can you guess how I arranged them?"

She furrowed her eyebrows, deep in thought.

"Are they arranged into words?"

"No."

"Hmmm… Are they arranged into a shape?"

"Yes."

"A simple or complex shape?"

"Complex."

"Hmmm…. Are they arranged as my house?"

I shook my head, but then remembered she had her eyes closed.

"No." I walked back over to the table to retrieve the sweet basket.

I silently walked back over to the bed, her eyes were still closed.

"Hmmm… Is it an object?"

"Not really."

"Something alive?"

"Yes."

She relaxed her eyebrows, probably baffled- or that there were too many guesses going on through her head.

"I give up Pierre, what are they arranged as?"

"Open your eyes." I told her softly.

She did, and she gasped, just a little. She wasn't expecting them to be arranged as her- her head anyway.

"P-Pierre! Is that supposed to be me?"

I blushed. Maybe the arrangement wasn't as great as I thought it was, but, it should have been close enough… I saw her smile, it was wide too… I thought for a second that it wasn't her…

"It's very nice Pierre… I never knew you could practically see my face in your head… It's so perfect- it looks exactly like me… You must know me very well."

"_I care deeply for you too._"

I simply nodding my head, not trusting my voice at the moment, plus I was still blushing.

She giggled again.

"I can't wait to try them Pierre! And, Dr. Trent better okay it too! If he doesn't, I'll have to waste a cookie or two aiming at his head!"

I simply chuckled at her words. She can't be sappy for long; she has to go back to her mean-like attitude. But, as I remember stating before, I love that about her.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

I looked towards the door, wondering who would be visiting. And then I remembered that it had to be her brother, probably just to make sure that she was okay before going to see Julia.

"Come in." I said, facing the door.

The door opened- and it wasn't Elliot standing there… It was Vaughn…

* * *

**Vaughn's POV**

I opened the door, ignoring that child looking man obvious shocked expression, and I closed the door behind me.

"Hey." I said simply, mostly to the occupant on the bed than to the midget.

I saw Natalie raise an eyebrow at me.

"Well, isn't this surprising. Why are you here?" Natalie asked.

Before I could answer, without words, she continued, though with a little bitter in her voice.

"If you're looking for Chelsea, she's not here." She said simply.

That wasn't why I was there though…

I took one of the chocolate bars out of my pocket and I showed it to her. Her eyes became big, shocked of course- Pierre reacted the same way…

"This is for you." I told her.

Then her eyes squinted, now suspicious I suppose…

"Why are you giving me one?" She asked.

I didn't have time for this. I didn't have to do this after all, but, I felt like I needed to for- a reason…

"Just take it."

"Why?"

I sighed through my nose and I faced the midget gourmet.

"Leave." I told him gruffly.

It sounded more like an order then a suggestion. He looked at me, wide eyed, and then he pouted- I swear he looks so much like a damn brat…!

"Why do I have to leave? Can't you share your reason with both of us here?"

"No. Now, leave." I replied.

He continued to stand there by the bed, and I was about to growl and glare at him to get him moving. But, Natalie beat me to it…

"Pierre… Leave the room for a moment… I'm sure he has a good reason for 'asking' you to leave…"

He then faced her.

"B-But Natalie-"

"I'll be fine. I can always kick his ass if it's a stupid reason- and call you. So, don't worry about it."

I rolled my eyes. She can't do much ass-kicking in her current state. But, who's going to point that out to her?

Pierre sighed in defeat and he left the room, slowly. I didn't say one word until I was sure he left the room and, hopefully, away from the door. Because if he was eavesdropping…

"Alright. Now he is gone. So, explain yourself." She said.

I sighed through my nose. I really didn't have to do this- I could just leave… But again, I would feel guilty if I didn't do this… Damn…

"I'm giving it to you because I- appreciate what you did for Chelsea."

She raised an eyebrow at me.

"And what's that?"

"If you haven't taken her place, I wouldn't be here. I would be- elsewhere, making less money. Without Chelsea here to take care of the animals, well, there would be no reason for me to be here either."

That was the truth, but only partially the truth… I was also glad that nothing bad happened to Chelsea- that she didn't get hurt due to that statue… Otherwise, she would be the one in bed for hours every day for a few seasons… Going by her personality, she would probably be drove crazier then what Natalie feels, being stuck in this room all day.

"Hmmm…. Well, you're welcome I guess… Though, _cowboy_, she doesn't seem to feel the same way. She told me that she feels guilty for what happened to me… When you see her today, you tell her that I don't want her pity anymore. I'll be fine- I am alive last I checked. She doesn't comply, you slap her for me."

"I'm not going to do that. And, what makes you think that I will see her today anyway?"

She simply grinned at me.

"Come now, do you really want me to answer that out loud- in a hotel? Where I'm sure others can hear me through these thin walls?"

I scowled at her, and she simply ignored it. I threw the bar onto the table, and then I turned to leave. But before I could even turn the handle…

"You tell her… That I shouldn't have yelled at her like that…"

"Hmph! You can tell her that yourself." I responded.

I heard her puff and I had a feeling that she was going to either curse me out or throw something at me with all of her arm strength- I didn't stay long enough to find out.

I left the room, walking right by Pierre- who immediately headed towards her room again.

"_Well… That wasn't as bad as I imagined in my head…_"

I then headed towards the diner. I might as well eat me a quick breakfast- or brunch rather…

* * *

**Denny's POV**

"Awe-some?"

I looked at the chocolate cookies I made, sitting there on the tray- and some of them burned while the others were fine- or at least they looked fine…

I sighed.

"Well, I'll just throw away the bad ones and keep the good ones…"

So, I did just that and I waited for a few minutes for the good ones to cool off just a bit before I would take them off of the tray (the bad ones burned my hands enough).

I then took them off of the tray and I just put them all on a clean plate (it didn't smell like fish either). I put some of the chocolate bars in one of my pockets and the rest (2 of them), Kuu wanted to carry them. I didn't know his beak could open that wide when he wanted it to…

"Alright! Ready to go?" I asked Kuu while looking at him.

Kuu just looked at me with its large saucer-like eyes.

"I'll take that as a yes."

I then left my shack with the plate of cookies in my hand. Lucky for me, the weather was good- not one single drop of rain. Though, there would be puddles here and there, but, that's not a bad thing…

I headed for the exit of the beach, to head towards Lanna's place first of course.

Not even that long after, I reached her house. I knocked on her door, and not even a second later, her door opened. She smiled at me, though considering on what happened yesterday, I thought she would still be mad at me.

"Denny!" She said happily.

And then she frowned. Well, that didn't last long…

"What took you so long! You shouldn't keep a girl like me waiting you know!"

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

"Lanna, I do fish in the morning you know. I don't come back until 9AM, remember? But, even then I would have to spend some time to work on my cooking you know."

Her eyes sparkled and she smiled at me again.

"What did you cook?"

Even though she could see the plates of cookies right in my hand, out in the open, she insisted on playing this game that we sometimes just play.

"Well, I'm only good at cooking fish… So, I practiced how to cook boiled fish."

"Then what are those in your hand?"

"They're fish-cookies! My own creation too!"

She pouted just a little.

"Denny…"

I rolled my eyes that time.

"Yes Lanna, they are chocolate cookies… My best work I think…"

She giggled and took the plate of cookies from me. And quickly, without me even sensing it, she pecked her lips onto my right cheek. I think I blushed- just a little.

She giggled again at my noticeable shocked face.

"Thank you Denny!" She said in that sing-song voice of hers.

I looked away from her, just a little, I was still blushing you know…

"So… What are we planning to do today?"

"Well… Uh… The usual… I'll hang out with you at the diner later…"

She pouted at that.

"Why are we doing the same thing! Why can't we hang out now!"

"Well, that's because I'm going to hang out with Chelsea for a few hours."

She frowned at that and her face turned red- and I'm sure it's not from embarrassment.

"Chelsea! Why are you hanging out with her!"

"That's because I want to...? She is my friend too." I responded.

I was telling the truth- or at least a part of it… I'm hanging out with Chelsea due to a certain person being quite stubborn and being- stupid in my opinion. But, maybe if I gave him a little push he'll do something… Or rather, motivate him… Hopefully he won't hurt me in the end… If you ask me, I'm doing him a big favor- even though it could put my own relationship in danger with Lanna...

"_She'll get over it… She always does…_" I thought.

She continued to frown at me, along with a glare. She made me feel guilty and- afraid of that glare of hers. Before I could try to fix the problem, that's when Shea appeared in front of me (where did he come from?). He smiled at Lanna and then he presented her a chocolate bar. Which surprised me because he barely knew her… I guess he's just that kind of person…

"I give Lanna candy! Lanna friend!" He said to her.

Lanna was still glaring at me, but she took the bar from Shea. And then, surprising me and Shea, she grabbed his arm and pulled him next to her.

"Fine! Then I will hang out with Shea!"

Shea looked confused for moment, but then he smiled.

"Lanna play with Shea! Yay!" He then continued to smile and he kind of jumped in glee (Lanna must have let go of him at that point).

I just raised an eyebrow at her.

"That's fine with me. I don't mind."

I shrugged my shoulders then I looked at Shea.

"Have fun with her Shea."

He nodded his head and looked at Lanna.

"Lanna ready?"

Lanna pouted again, I guess she didn't like how calm I took the whole thing with her hanging out with Shea. Honestly, Shea seems kind of- naïve… And that is from knowing him for only a short amount of time… I mean, what can he do to Lanna?

She then went inside of her house to put the plate of cookies somewhere I guess. She came back shortly and took one step outside, closing the door behind her.

"I'm ready Shea." She said with a smile, at Shea I noticed.

Shea grabbed her wrist and pretty much dragged her away.

"Yay! Let's go play!"

"Sl-Slow down Shea! I can't run this fast!"

I just watched them go towards the jungle before I shook my head and turned to leave myself.

I walked along the path that would take me to the ranch- hopefully Chelsea would still be there…

* * *

**Chelsea's POV**

I was at home, literally just sitting on the bed- daydreaming… Who doesn't do that once in a while? Well, I do it almost all of the time, but still, almost everybody daydreams about something…

I was just daydreaming about random things. Some things I rather not share with anyone, and others- just shouldn't be known to the world yet…

I could be reading a book, as both of my bookshelves were covered with books- most of them fiction, the ones I bought with me to the island when I first came here.

Just then, there is a knock at my door. I stand up and walk over to the door. I opened it, and there stood Mark himself… The one I haven't seen in quite a few hours- while I was working on the farm that is…

"Oh… Hey Mark… I haven't seen you at all today…"

He looked away from me with his eyes, avoiding my gaze I guess... He scratched the back of his head.

"I'm sorry for not seeing you earlier… But, I was busy doing- something…"

And then his face turned red, before he looked back at me with his green eyes.

"Chelsea… I came by to give you something…"

He took his rucksack off of his back and took some small bag out. The bag was red with a little pink mixed in. In the center of the bag was a small heart. He held the bag out to me and he smiled, his eyes twinkling.

"Chelsea… Will you please take these…?"

Without touching the bag, I looked inside. There was thin white paper covering, as I expected, chocolate cookies. They looked decent and delicious! I wouldn't mind eating…

I looked at Mark straight in the eye and said, "Mark… I can't take these…"

His eyes drooped a bit, his smile fading.

"Chelsea… I-I uh… I think you should take them and think about it…"

"Think about it?"

I didn't quite understand what he meant.

"What I mean is… I would like for you to at least think about it… You have until winter to reply back… I know winter is far from now, but I'm willing to wait that long… I just think that- you should think about it is all… This doesn't have to mean anything…"

I sighed and looked at the bag again.

"_Should I take them or not… If I do- Mark might get his hopes up a little high… If I don't- I'll feel awkward every time I see him…_"

I looked at his face again- and I couldn't help but realized he looked so- sad… I never really have seen him that way before… And his eyes were practically begging me to take the bag… I could practically see that his heart would break if I didn't accept them.

"_I guess it wouldn't hurt… Besides, you have until winter to make up your mind… That is a long away from now… If you don't accept his feelings, just simply tell him. I'm sure he'll understand._" My conscience said to me.

I sighed in defeat, silently agreeing with my conscience. Without saying anything, I took the bag from him.

"I'll- think about it Mark…"

Even though the answer I gave was basically a 'maybe', he still smiled- a very big smile with his white teeth showing, it was full of life, making me almost wanting to smile back to him. Almost…

"Thank you Chelsea…! It makes me so- happy! You don't know—what this means to me." He said, and I could have sworn he was about to cry.

"_I think I know what it means to you…_"

"You're welcome Mark… But remember, I said I'll think about it…!"

He just nodded his head, still smiling.

"I know… But still…"

He shook his head, apparently not going to say his full thoughts to me.

"So… Would you like to go do something together…?"

"Uh… Don't you have work to do…?"

He shook his head.

"I doubled my working time yesterday. So, whatever I needed to do today, I did it yesterday." He said.

"Well… I think I'll pass Mark. No offense…"

He was still smiling.

"I understand. You must be tired…! And-"

He looked at my bandaged covered arm, his face changed into worry.

"Chelsea… Is your arm okay? It doesn't hurt right?"

"It's fine. It only hurts when pressure is applied to it."

He looked at my face, still worried, but then it changed to his traditional smile.

"Well, if you say so!"

He scratched the back of his head again, his face turning red once more. And he kept moving his feet, kicking imaginary stones on the ground.

"We-Well… I'll see you around Chelsea…"

He looked at me once more and then he turned away, waving at me one more time and saying one last 'Goodbye!' to me.

I shook my head and closed my door once again, bringing the bag of cookies to my table. I took a seat and peered inside of the bag, moving the thin white paper out of the way.

The cookies really _do_ look good! And since I love eating sweets…

I took one chocolate cookie out and took a tiny bite out of it.

"_Hmmm… Not bad…. It's not that soft, but not too hard either… It's just right I guess… Though, I prefer soft cookies over—just right cookies…_"

I ate the whole thing. I was about to go to the bookshelf to pick something to read, but again, I heard a knock on my door. I groaned, annoyed by the disturbance.

"I just answered the door less than a minute ago…" I mumbled to myself.

I got up from my seat and walked back to the door- once again… I opened it, and I immediately made my face blank, but my voice sounded angry- just a little.

"What is it that _you_ want?"

Vaughn looked like he was about to scowl at me, but he didn't… I guess he held back.

Without him saying anything, he took out something from his pocket- a chocolate bar. He held it up to me, but I didn't take it. I looked at it like it was some foreign object.

"I'm not taking that." I told him simply.

I expected him to growl or something to show his irritation, but he sighed instead.

"You're still mad at me for not apologizing to Sabrina?"

I shrugged my shoulders. That was true, but that wasn't the only reason with why I was mad at him.

"That's not the only reason."

He frowned slightly at me, he looked- confused…?

"What are you talking about? If you're mad at me for some other reason, I have no idea what it is."

He sounded sincere, but I scoffed at him in reply still.

"As if you don't know Vaughn! I mean really, give me a break! You volunteered that you would come and help me with the animals, and yet you told Mark that you wasn't going to help me anymore!"

He looked at me in shock at first, before he frowned and growled at me. As if his actions were my fault.

"That's not what happened Chelsea…! I didn't want to stop helping- you… Your boss told me to get off of his property and to not help you anymore. He told me that my help wasn't required anymore, because he can do it." He said, though he basically yelled at me.

I didn't say anything, my eyes widened in surprise instead.

"Vaughn… You're lying…"

It's not that I want to call him a liar- I didn't know him that well to judge that… But Mark has been honest with me since I met him… Not to mention, he is even honest with his feelings as well… Why would he lie on someone like Vaughn?

He growled at my words.

"You're calling me a liar Chelsea? You don't even know me and you called me a liar! You didn't even bother to consider my side!"

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath in.

"_Okay… I have to take this situation calmly and do the right thing…_"

I looked at the chocolate bar he still held in his hand, now balled up by his side, obviously trying to control his anger. I sighed and I looked up at his face, which still held a frown and his mouth twisted downward- still as a scowl.

"Vaughn… I'll talk to Mark… You can come with me if you want… And… I'll take that chocolate bar as well…"

Vaughn seemed to go rigid, but he relaxed as well. He just nodded his head once, and then he said, "I'll give it to you… After we go see Mark… If you still think I am a liar- then you don't have to take it…"

"And what happens if you are telling the truth?"

He said nothing to that; he just shrugged his shoulders, just barely noticeable.

"Well… If you are telling the truth, you can help me once again with the animals… That is, if you want to…"

He tipped his hat down a little in reply. I took that as a 'yes'.

I closed my door behind me and locked it. I started walking on the path to go to the ranch. I heard the clanging of boots- Vaughn was following me of course.

I guess he wanted to find out- or watch…

* * *

**Mark's POV**

I was sitting under one of my own fruit trees on the field, the peach one. Ironically, I felt that way- peachy! I was still smiling and my heart was still swelling. I'm so full of happiness that I wanted to get up and shout without stopping! I felt like running around to get rid of this energy that I had locked within myself!

I took one deep breath in and slowly let it back out. I looked up into the sky, the sun still bright in the sky, though it'll turn night in a few hours. But, not that I would care too much. I didn't mind the night- the stars would come out…

Something in my mind told me to look towards the entrance of the ranch, and that is when I saw her. I smiled and stood up to wave. But, I stopped my hand from waving… Not too far behind her, was Vaughn… And I had a feeling that today- just turned bad…

And I was right. I saw the slight frown on Chelsea's face before she stopped in front of me, with only her one good hand on her hip. As for Vaughn, he just stood a few feet behind her, with his arms folded across his chest… Even though he tried to hide it- he was smirking, just a little… I couldn't help but call him a certain word in my mind that I rather not repeat…

"He-Hey Chelsea…" I said to her.

"Mark… Vaughn just told me that _you_ were the one that kicked him off of your property and that you were the one that told him he can't help me anymore."

I swallowed an invisible lump in my throat. I hoped she didn't see that…

"_You lied, and now you are getting bit in the butt... Big time!_" My conscience said to me, and I could hear it laughing it seemed like to me...

"Well! Is it true?" She said, obviously losing her patients.

"I… Uh…"

I didn't know what to say. It was too late to try to fix the problem… Not only that, this had to happen today- after I just gave her my cookies too… She's going to hate me… And it felt so much worse than lying and feeling guilty about it… I sighed in defeat, better not make it worse than it already is…

"I- did do that… I did kick him off of my property and told him that he didn't _need_ to help you anymore… I told him that I could help you instead…"

I was looking down at the ground when I said that. But, I dared to look up at her face… And it was the most heart-breaking thing I have ever seen… It made my heart ache…

Her face held shock first, then it changed to anger, and finally to disbelief.

"_Well… I blew this myself…_"

Without her saying a word to me, she turned away from me and walked away- to leave the ranch… I didn't dare follow her- even though I really, _really_, wanted to… As for Vaughn, he looked at me, with both of his sickening purple eyes. I didn't bother glaring back at him, so, I took the blow without fighting back. And then he turned away and followed her… Once I was sure they were gone, I sat back down on the ground and took my hat off of my head. I leaned against the trunk of the tree and I closed my eyes, taking small breaths at a time.

And I felt alone…

* * *

**Vaughn's POV**

I was walking beside her. She was speed-walking, but, it didn't bother me, I take long strides anyway… I decided to remain silent- she'll talk when she wants to…

She didn't talk until she reached her house. She turned away from her door and faced me, with a forced smile on her face.

"Well… You were telling the truth Vaughn… So… I owe you an apology…"

In reply, I held the chocolate bar out to her. She chuckled and then she took the chocolate bar from me.

"No need to apologize… I had my show already."

I know it may sound wrong to laugh or even grin about what happened back at the ranch, but, he deserved it if you ask me. Though, I couldn't help but glare at him once Chelsea left. The stupid guy lied to her, making her angry with me!

"_One day…_"

"Well, I insist anyway… So…"

She unlocked her door and walked inside, but turned around to face me again.

"How about we- hang out…?"

She sounded unsure with herself; truthfully, I wasn't sure how to reply to that. So, while my mind was racing with an answer, I looked into her house, behind her- and I saw a bag on her table… I could only guess what it was. In fact, I didn't have to guess…

"Chelsea… What's that on the table….?"

I couldn't help but ask her… I wanted to know who would give her cookies. Was it that nerd Elliot? No, unlikely… Was it Pierre? That was unlikely as well… Was it that jungle boy I saw once? That was- a weird answer… Was it Denny! That had to not be true—though if it is…

And then, my heart felt like it stopped beating… I knew the answer before she said it.

"Oh those… That is from- Mark… He gave them to me a minute or two before you came to my door…"

"And you- accepted them…?"

My voice sounded flat, no emotion to it. Though, I was making it up in my mind…

"Well… Yeah, I guess you can say that… It was more like- a deal I guess you can say…"

A deal or not, she shouldn't have accepted the cookies from him… Before I could come up with a response or ask another question- I heard a familiar voice not too far behind me.

"Hey Chelsea! I was looking all over for you!"

I turned, and sure enough- there was Denny. He ran up to the house and he stood by me. He looked at me once, a quick smile on his face before he looked at Chelsea.

"Hey Denny." She said to him, me being forgotten for the moment I'm sure…

He took something out of his bird's (at least that is what I think it is) mouth and he waved it a little in front of his face. A chocolate bar of course…

"This is for you." He said as he tossed it to her.

She caught the bar with her one hand- of course… It was a nice catch though…

As if Denny read my mind, he said, "Nice catch!" and then he laughed…

"_Why does he always laugh about something? Seriously, he's the only guy that would do that…_"

"So… Ready to hang out Chelsea?" He asked her.

I couldn't help but look at him and I almost growled at him.

"_Why is he hanging out with Chelsea?_"

I decided to shrug it off. He's just- that kind of guy I guess… Though, the thought still pissed me off.

"Oh… Well…" She stopped and looked at me.

I could see that she was asking me, with her eyes, if it was okay that she- ditch me and go with him…? She was really- asking me…? Huh… I don't know what think of that…

"It's okay. I got to head to the beach anyway and wait for the boat… So, I'll see you next Wednesday and Thursday to help you." I said as I touched the brim of my hat and pulled it down a bit.

"Oh! That's great then!"

I felt my face go a little hot. Luckily my hat was pulled down enough. I walked away from them and walked along the path that would take me to the beach.

Once I was there, I stood by that large rock there that had seaweed it looked like on it. I folded my arms over my chest and I looked out at the ocean.

And strangely, I felt at peace with myself… Subconsciously, I couldn't wait till next Wednesday and Thursday…

* * *

**Denny's POV**

"See ya later Chelsea!" I yelled as I waved at her.

She waved at me back, and then she left.

I turned away from the exit that would lead out of the forest, and I looked at the pond- or Goddess pond as she called it… The water was still now, doing nothing but reflecting my reflection and the moonlight from the moon in the sky.

I swung my fishing rod over my shoulder and left the forest myself to go to my shack. I was walking on the path, and just looking at the scenery around me.

"_Wow… Everything looks nice at night too…_"

I crossed the bridge and I continued to walk on the path that would take me to the beach.

Once I got on the beach, I was turning to head for my shack, but then I saw someone sitting there at the edge where the water would hit the beach… I couldn't see who it was, I was a little far from them. So, I approached them, and that person turned out to be Lanna…

Without being too noisy, I took a seat next to her, and looked out to sea with her. I looked at her, from the side. And yet, she didn't look at me once. And that was when I noticed that her dress looked a little dirty and there were small pieces of twigs in her hair. Something was wrong with her if she didn't bother fixing herself- at all…

"Hey Lanna…"

"Hey…"

I reached a hand to her hair and pulled out a twig, and I kept repeating the action.

"What's wrong?" I asked her.

She scoffed.

"So _now_ you care about me?"

I sighed, but I didn't stop doing what I was doing.

"Lanna… Don't be like that; you know I'm not like that at all…"

She then looked at me, and she looked angry.

"Look at me! I spent almost all day with- Shea and you spend your day with Chelsea! If you cared so much then why did you-"

She stopped, and I saw that tears were beginning to come- her eyes glazed over.

"Don't make this an argument Lanna… I only hung out with her for a reason…"

"And what's that?" She asked, trying her best to not cry.

I sighed and I patted the top of her head. I looked back out into the ocean to try to relax. I took a sniff of the air, smelling the salt of the sea and some of the moisture of the ocean going into my nostrils. Not long after, I felt something warm on my shoulder. I looked down and as I expected, Lanna laid her head on my shoulders. In reply, I put my right arm around her, putting my hand on her arm, and rubbing them a bit- she was cold…

"How long have you been out here Lanna?"

She shrugged her shoulders.

"You can catch a cold…"

"Denny… Don't try to change the subject."

I chuckled. And then I told her what she wanted to know…

* * *

**Sabrina's POV**

I was in the library, reading anything to keep my mind busy.

"Sabrina! Come here please!" My father yelled, obviously from his office.

I closed the book I was reading and put it on the desk in front of me. I stood up from my seat and ran to his office. He was at his desk (of course) doing some work. He didn't bother looking up from his work.

"I'll be with you in a moment. Just let me finish this last bit here…" He said, as he continued pressing numbers on his calculator.

I sighed and I walked up to the aquarium and I looked at the fish that were inside. I didn't bother looking at them in detail- I already knew what kind of fish they were and how many- 5 in total as always… I walked away from the aquarium and I walked up to the samurai armor that was on the other side of my father's desk. I looked at it, up and down, and I briefly looked at the samurai sword that was strapped on its waist.

I was about to turn away from it and just sit on the couch, but my father finally finished his work.

"Done!" He said.

He then moved his paperwork away from the desk and pulled something from out of his drawer- a few something's actually…

"I believe these are for you."

He handed to me three chocolate bars. I could tell by his eyes that he was wondering who they were from, he obviously didn't look at them closely… I guess he was giving me a little privacy…

I thanked him, bowing just a bit, and then I ran out of his office and up the stairs to my room. I didn't stop until I sat on my bed.

I put all three bars on the bed. I picked up the first one.

"'Hope you have a nice White day. From Mark'" I read out loud.

I smiled to myself and then I put it back down on the bed. Then I picked up the second one.

"'Have a nice White Day. From Elliot.'" I read out loud.

I smiled again and put it back down on the bed next to the other.

"_They are both so kind…_"

I then picked up the last one and I looked at it. At first, I couldn't find any writing on it or anything. But then, I saw a little piece of paper tucked inside the wrapper of the bar, with a little of it sticking out. I pulled the paper out and I opened it. I gasped in surprise, and I reread it to make sure that I wasn't dreaming.

"'I'm sorry… Vaughn'" The note read.

I smiled and I put the note against my chest. I wanted to cry in happiness.

"_He apologized…! So… He really does care…!_"

This was the best White Day I ever had. I meant something to him!

**_TO BE CONTINUED…_**

* * *

**AUTHOR'S COMMENTS/NOTES**

* * *

Uh-oh… Chelsea accepted Mark's cookies and Sabrina got a chocolate bar from Vaughn… Things are getting- a little out of hand here- or are getting there… And Denny is thrown into the equation as well- though he has his secretive reasons...

As you can see, there is no BONUS after the chapter ended… I was too tired to make one… Anyway, expect the next chapter (Chapter 8) soon, titled, 'A Sweet and Sour Birthday'… Yes, I had that title in my head for quite some time now… A few things will happen- good and bad… What are they? Well, that's for me to know and for you to find out… Also, I'm deciding to keep the title for this story... I'm afraid that I am use to the title now- I've grown a little attached to it... Onto the numbers! Not many this time again…

**(1)** _White Day/Howaito De_ [ホワイトデー**/**ほわいとでー/Hoe-wha-e-toe-de]: This is the 'TRUE' name of 'Spring Thanksgiving' as it is called in the game. It is a holiday (kind of) in Japan where the men will present the women with Valentine's Day gift- or rather- gifts to repay these women that gave them gifts on Valentine's Day (Winter in the game). Anything that is usually handmade or REALLY expensive, means it is a gift that means the person has romantic feelings for you. In other words, loves you (possibly) and all that sappy stuff. If it is store brought and a cheap gift, then it is a gift of friendship or 'we're just friends, nothing more' type of thing. Which is why, in my story, that it was okay for Elliot and the rest to go around and hand out chocolate bars to other women besides their sweethearts/girlfriends- because they are friends with the villagers- or at least acquaintances…

**(2)** …_ giri-choco_ [義理チョコ**/**ぎりちょこ/Gi-ri-ch-o-co]_:_ As somewhat mentioned in number (1), this is basically 'courtesy chocolate'. Chocolate that men and women can give out that means they are friends, or given to co-workers etc. This is the gift Chelsea and Sabrina are given- meaning that Vaughn (and others) is friends with them at least. Though, Sabrina is taking it- a little (or a lot) bit more then that… This can be true in the game, if the character's heart is lower than yellow- the female character (Chelsea) will get only chocolate. Which makes sense…

**(3)** …_honmei-choco_ [本命チョコ/ほんめいちょこ/ho-en-meh-e-ch-o-co]: As somewhat mentioned in number (1), this is basically chocolate that is given to the person that man/woman has romantic feelings for. This is the gift Mark gave to Chelsea. He admitted, although somewhat indirectly, that he has romantic feelings for Chelsea. As in the game, if the character has a yellow or higher heart, the character will get cookies instead.

**(4)** … _chocolate cookies or just plain cookies_: In my own mind, chocolate cookies means that the person only has that one girl in mind, romantic feelings and such. Regular cookies, to me, would mean that the person is possibly seeing you as more then as a friend- heading towards romantic feelings most likely… I don't remember if the cookies are different in the game… All well…

**_THANK YOU ALL FOR REVIEWING (And to those that read anonymously)!_**


	9. Chapter 8, A Sweet and Sour Birthday

**Chapter 8, A Sweet and Sour Birthday**

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**SPRING 19TH – THURSDAY**

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**Vaughn's POV**

I was at the beach, waiting for my boat to arrive so that I could go back to the city…

Okay, so that's only _partially_ the truth. It's true that I am waiting for my boat, but I could have left the island hours ago… The real reason why I'm waiting is because I wanted to talk to Denny- and I don't mean a nice 'chat' with the man.

Ever since I left the island last week, Saturday, Denny has been- hanging out with Chelsea… I only know because I heard Lanna complaining about it at the Diner- loudly yesterday… Not just that, he's even around when I'm helping Chelsea at the ranch (Mark doesn't say anything about it- Chelsea is still mad at him by the way). And as soon as she is done with work, he always asks, "Ready to hang out now?"

I couldn't help but tighten my hands into fists and scowl.

"_I hope I don't have to worry about even more- problems! Chelsea and I just got onto good terms last week. I don't need Denny coming along and messing things up…!_"

And no, I'm not- jealous as one would call it. I just find it weird that he is all of a sudden hanging out with her a lot- more than Lanna. If I remember correctly, he didn't seem to have an interest in her before… So, why does he now?

I looked out into the sea, seeing the sun lower beyond the horizon, and the sky a mixture of colors of orange and red. I closed my eyes and forced myself to relax, just a little.

"_Maybe the fisherman has a reason…_"

I slowly loosened my fists, but before I could relax them completely, I heard the voice of the person I was waiting for.

"Vaughn? You're still here?"

I held back the growl that I wanted to make.

I heard his footsteps, and then they stopped. He was most likely standing beside me.

"_Okay Vaughn… Don't kick him yet… Besides, you don't want him to know that you possibly find Chelsea- interesting… Do you?_" My conscience whispered to me.

I opened my eyes and looked at Denny, who stood beside me.

"So, why are you still here Vaughn?" He asked.

"I was in the forest first before I came here… And I missed the boat…" I lied.

"You missed the boat like- 3 times or something? Because it is kind of late."

"The forest makes me forget my problems most of the time. So, sometimes I don't keep track of time." I told him, half of it being the truth.

"Oh…"

I have to ask him… I'll just have to do it casually though…

"So… I noticed that you have been hanging out with Chelsea a lot…"

He looked at me, before he smiled, just a little.

"Yeah, I am." He responded.

"Why?"

Maybe that isn't the best thing to ask him, it'll make me look like I'm some- stalker or something probably. But, I'm not really thinking straight- especially when my anger gets to me first…

He simple grinned at me and said, "What do you think?"

I growled at him, and he quickly put both of his hands up in front of him. And he chuckled nervously as well.

"I'm kidding Vaughn! I wouldn't do nothing like that…! I wouldn't betray Lanna's feelings like that…"

"Then why?"

He sighed.

"Well, it's obvious that you wouldn't- hang out with Chelsea. So, I did you a favor."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

He was beginning to piss me off and give me a headache.

"Well, for one, I know what you can get her for her birthday tomorrow."

I frowned slightly at that statement.

"_Her birthday? She never mentioned anything to me about it…_"

"Yes… Her birthday is tomorrow… Not just that, a surprise party is being set up for her as well… Didn't you get your invitation from Mark? Everyone has one."

I scowled.

"_Of course I wouldn't know… That rancher made sure of that…_"

As if he read my mind (he seems to be thinking like me lately), he said, "Oh… Yeah, I guess you wouldn't get one because you and Mark…. Right… Uh, sorry about that… Anyway, her surprise party is tomorrow. Mark didn't go into detail about it; he just said that we should go to Pierre's house… I don't why there of all places, but, he said there so… If you want…"

"Why does it matter? I'm not going to be here tomorrow. I'll be in the city doing work and other things my boss will assign me to."

"So… You can't do your work early and be here? The party won't happen until around 10AM. Mark said he'll distract her for that long."

I scowled again, but I smirked- just a little.

"I don't know how he's going to do that- she's still mad at him."

"Yeah, so she told me."

I frowned at that.

"_She told him…? She didn't even tell me herself that she was mad at Mark… I know it's obvious when I help her work, but she never told me directly…_"

"So, will you show up or not?"

I looked at him, and he was giving me his usual smiling face. He obviously wasn't going to take 'no' for an answer… At least, I don't think so…

I sighed in defeat.

"Yeah… Sure, whatever…"

His smiled widen, his teeth showing, and he chuckled.

"That's great!"

"But that's it! I'm not going to waste money getting her a present." I told him.

He raised an eyebrow at me.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure…"

I actually didn't sound sure and I had a feeling that he knew that I wasn't sure. I saw the arrival of the boat and I quickly walked away before he could say anything about my response. Even though I was walking away fast enough, I still heard him say, "Well, she told me that she loves small stuffed animals- especially Beanie Babies_**(1)**_. She has every animal except a horse. She wants one that is brown!"

He shouted the last thing because he noticed that I was close to the boat, to leave…

I walked up the plank, gave the guy my money and name, and then I walked onto the deck of the boat itself.

"_I'm not going to get her a present… Birthday or not…_"

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**SPRING 20TH – FRIDAY**

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**Chelsea's POV**

I'm doing the usual in the morning- getting ready to go to the farm to work.

I was busy drinking my daily orange juice with the bitter powder inside of it, before I heard a knock on my door.

"_Who's visiting me so early in the morning?_"

I put down my cup on the kitchen counter and then I walked over to the front door. I opened it, and saw the man that I was still angry with- Mark.

"Morning Mark." I said flatly.

He shrunk just a little due to my tone, but he regained his posture and looked at me again with a smile on his face- forced I'm sure… I'm still mad with him for lying to me…

"So… You're birthday is today…" He said.

"Yeah… What's it to you?"

I know I sound rude and that he is still my boss, but he deserved it after what he did… Though, he could technically fire me for insubordination, if he wanted to.

"Well… I came over to tell you that you don't have to work today if you don't want to… It is your birthday, and you have been working hard… You deserve a break. So, I figured that maybe you can have the whole day to yourself…" He said.

I thought he was joking, he had to be. I work hard sure, but I don't work _that_ hard. In fact, my work is easy due to the wonderfuls being on the tools and I have Vaughn helping me (for now). So, I barely work. Since last week, I have been hanging out with an eager Denny- and I know Lanna is upset about it… I wanted to decline his offer once, but it's so hard to say 'no' to someone as happy and outgoing as him… He always makes this face at me, the type of face like a child would make when they are eager to go somewhere fun and special.

"_Well… Might as well agree with Mark, it's not like he is going to take 'no' for an answer…_"

"Whatever you say Mark."

He slightly smiled at my reply.

"So… There are 4 chickens, 5 cows, and 1 sheep in total right?"

As if he wouldn't know… Well, maybe he doesn't… He doesn't come to the barn, coop, or stable when Vaughn is there helping me. Well, since Vaughn has been helping me again…

"No… There are 4 chickens, 1 cow and 4 _calves_, and 1 sheep. The sheep became an adult just yesterday, so it doesn't need to be sheered today._**(2)**_"

He nodded his head.

"Oh… Well then, I'll see you around…"

He turned away from me and said, "Happy Birthday… Hope you have a good one…" with a forced smile on his face.

I heard him sigh and then he walked away. I shook my head and closed the door.

I went back to the kitchen to finish my orange juice.

"_Hmmm…. What should I do to keep myself busy in the meantime?_"

I figured I could go in my closet and take out my laptop. It was packed for me, and it was powered by the sun- solar power. It's only solar powered due to the new batteries that my mother got for me before I came here_**(3)**_.

"_But, it's not like they have internet here… I highly doubt I can even get a signal here… Though Sabrina might have internet connection…_"

I never tried my laptop since I came to this island. I've been- quite busy actually… Ignoring the bad things that happened this season, I've had- fun so far… And, I feel relaxed as well…

"_Maybe I should write a letter to my parents… I'm sure they're worried about me…_"

"_Or, you could just call them! After all, you did bring your cell phone to the island… Where is it anyway?_" My conscience asked me.

I put my empty cup in the sink, planning to wash it later, and walked over to where the cabinet was. I opened one of the drawers, and inside was where I had my cell phone. I flipped open the cover of it, turned it on, and held down a number to speed-dial my parent- or in this case, my mother.

I held the phone against my ear and listened to the ringing. The line on the other end was picked up after four rings.

"Uhmmm…. Hello?"

That voice was my mother, and she sounded tired.

"_Well duh! It is still early! Only you would be up this early… Well, not counting your father anyway…_"

"Mom?"

"Huh? Chelsea! Is that you!"

If she was tired before, she sounded awake now.

"Yes mom, this is her."

"Oh! Me and your father have been worried about you! Not once did you call us!"

I chuckled nervously.

"Well, I have been kind of busy… But, how come you haven't called me?"

"We tried. But, your voice mail always answered…"

I frowned at her words.

"_I've never heard my phone ring or make any sort of noise…_"

"_Duh again! You had your phone off! You're not thinking today…_" My conscience kindly reminded me.

"_But even so… I'm sure she would have text message me at least… How come I didn't hear my phone make some sort of noise to let me know?_"

"Hang on Mom…"

I decided to check real quick. Sure enough, I left my phone on silent. So, even if she did leave me a message me and I was home, I wouldn't have been able to hear it … And I most likely didn't hear that 'beeping' noise it would make when someone left a message for me…

"I'm sorry mom… I left my cell phone off and on silent… So, I didn't know about any of your calls…"

I heard her sigh on the other end.

"Chelsea, what would happen if it was an emergency?"

"I guess I wouldn't have known about it until now… I'm so sorry…"

She sighed again.

"It's okay… Anyway, I'm glad you called! And, guess whose birthday it is?"

I rolled my eyes, but I laughed anyway.

"I believe it's mine."

"That's right! And how old would you be?"

"I'll be 25…"

Wow… 25 years old already… That's half of 50- I'm getting old! I made this horror face.

"_I don't want to get old!_"

"Chelsea… You're turning 25 years old starting today… Wow… My baby is growing up… It seems just like yesterday when you were a baby…"

I imagined her wiping a tear from her eye. My mom can be emotional sometimes…

"Anyway, how are things? Is your job okay?"

"Everything is-"

I hesitated, because everything _wasn't_ great… Not with that so called omen going on… Something I triggered myself since I came to the island… But, I couldn't tell my mother… She'll just tell dad, and then he'll demand that I come back home immediately. And if I don't, most likely he'll come here himself and drag me back home- with or without assistant.

"Chelsea? Is something wrong?"

"O-Oh! Nothing is wrong! I'm just thinking about all of the good things that happened since I came here! So, everything is great mom!"

I felt terrible lying to my mother, but it was the only way that I could stay here without confrontation from them- mostly from my father… But, I could tell the truth about the other things…

"As for my job- it's the best mom! I'm really happy!"

"I hope you're not working too hard now…"

"Not really. My job is easy. All I have to do is take care of the animals. It's even easier to do since the animals like me. Plus, the tools are upgraded to the highest level, so, that makes my job easy too."

"That's nice to hear… So, what's your boss like?"

"_He turns out to be a liar…_"

"He's okay mom. He's optimistic, very fair, and he's easy to get along with. He's even giving me a day off today since it is my birthday."

"Wow, that's nice of him. Not many bosses do that… How old does he look?"

"He's actually my age mom… Well, my current age as of today and on."

"He's only 25 and he owns his own land! Well, I am impressed… And, he seems to be a nice boy."

I had an idea that she was going somewhere with this… Especially the way she said that last sentence…

"Mom… I don't see him like that… And I'm sure dad won't approve…"

I imagined her rolling her eyes.

"You're father will get over it Chelsea. He always does… Anyway, what is your place like? How are the neighbors?"

I knew this conversation wasn't going to be short, but I didn't mind hearing a familiar voice for once.

* * *

**Vaughn's POV**

I finished work as early as I could. I took care of the animals at the 'warehouse' already, and I already made sure I fulfilled my quota for the day.

Right now, I was walking around the small shops located near the docks- trying to figure out what to get Chelsea for her birthday…

I know I said that I wouldn't, but I changed my mind- there is nothing to explain… To add on to that problem, I'm trying to look for that particular thing that Denny mentioned that she wanted- or rather, she doesn't have and would most likely want it… But so far, I didn't find no brown horse plushy or whatever they are called…

I stopped in front of yet another store. The sign on the door read, 'Second-Hand Items'.

"_You mean stolen items?_"

Maybe it didn't mean that, but here in the city, you had to be sure. I just shrugged my shoulders and walked into the store. No point skipping the store, it might have the item I am looking for… Though I'll make sure that the item looks genuine. I don't need to go to jail, adding on to my already miserable life… Although it has been a little less miserable lately…

The store itself looked like a tight space from the outside, not a surprise to find it in a mess inside. The shelves displaying the items were all close together, not giving a customer enough room to view the items. The counter, where the owner stood behind it, was right next to them.

"_Even though everything is close together, I have to admit that it was a- smart move… It makes it easier for him to watch his customers- to make sure they weren't stealing… And to those that would, he probably had a shotgun behind that counter… Or an alarm or something…_"

I looked at the owner and he looked- familiar… He wore a hat that was a combination of two colors, black and white. He wore a long black coat, though it looked Chinese oriented then Japanese. He had this weird mustache that made him look like a codfish and he had long black hair in a braid, dangling like a long ponytail… And, for some odd reason, he wore black shades, barely seeing his eyes at all.

"Do I—know you?" I asked him

He _really_ did look familiar, but I couldn't put my finger on it…_**(4)**_

"I'm afraid not sir. Anyway, my name is Qwon. How may I help you?"

Qwon…? I wouldn't remember that name even if I did recognize him…

I decided to not think about that now and go back to the task at hand… I walked up to one of the shelves and searched for a brown horse plushy or whatever Denny called it…

To my surprise, I found one. I took it off the shelf and looked at it, _very_ closely. I wasn't joking about making sure the items here were real.

Even though I'm not an expert, the item did look real. I turned to him with the item in my hand.

"How much is this?"

"Ah! You have good taste sir! That rare and valuable item is for a low price of 6,000G!"

I nearly choked on my own spit.

"6,000G for this thing!"

He was obviously trying to rip me off. I may hate the city, but I'm not stupid.

He nodded his head.

"Oh yes! You see, that is the last of its kind. That Beanie Baby was specially made for a derby winner about 10 or so years ago_**(5)**_. The price of it is even higher since the tag is still attached, and that it's in mint condition as well. Not one stain on it!" He said proudly.

Well, he certainly knows his products; I'll give him that… But I still think he is ripping me off.

"If it's in mint condition, then why is it not covered in plastic or still in its box?"

To that, he said nothing. In fact, he looked nervous.

"Good point… Fine, I'll give it to you for 5,000G."

"4,000G." I countered.

I figured maybe I can make a bargain with the guy.

"4,900G."

"4,000G." I repeated.

"Hmmm…. 4,500G, that is my final offer."

Well, that isn't too bad; I got 1,500G off from the original price…

"Deal." I said as I went through my pockets for the right amount of gold.

I took out some coins and counted it in my hand, and handed him the exact amount. He took it, bows down a little, smiled and said, "Thank you! You are a very wise man!"

"_Yeah right… You probably still ripped me off somehow…_"

"Would you like a bag for that?"

There was no way I was going to walk around with some girly doll in my hand.

"Yeah… Do you have those special bags for certain occasions?"

He simply pointed to the shelf behind me. I turned, and sure enough, on the bottom shelf were different decorated bags. I took a simply one that said the words, 'Happy Birthday' on it.

"_This is so damn corny… Hopefully she doesn't mind…_"

I handed the bag to the guy.

"Hmmm… Nice choice, simple, yet it tells the message. 100G."

I gave him the gold without argument. He put it into his cash register. He opened the bag, took the doll from me and put it inside, as gently as possible. He handed the bag back to me, and he took off his hat a little and said, "Thank you for shopping at 'Second-Hand', please come again!"

I just tipped my own hat in reply and left the store. I immediately started to head for the docks, thinking it was time for me to go to 'Sunny Island'. She better like my gift or I might have to throw her into the sea… Of course, I wouldn't really do that- maybe…

* * *

**Pierre's POV**

I opened my window and looked out of it. Even though, for some reason unknown to me, the window is located at the back of my house- I could still use it… Anyway, I didn't see Chelsea anywhere outside… It was getting close to get her for her surprise party...

I put my head back into my house and closed the window. I turned around, ready to jump off my bed and leave my house. But, the lights inside of my house are off now, so it would be a little difficult to get around- even though it is my own house… Not to mention, a lot of people were inside of my house- including two people I didn't know… Mark just explained that they would introduce themselves when Chelsea comes here…

I got off of my bed and carefully walked towards the door to leave my house. I again looked around, and the path was clear- of Chelsea anyway...

I walked towards her house, trying my best to hide the grin that wanted to come out- that would most likely give myself away…

I was in front of her door now and I knocked on it. About a minute later, she answered the door. She looked around before she looked down at me (she is slightly taller than me).

"Oh! Hey Pierre!"

"Hi Chelsea! Chelsea, I know that you must be busy and tired from work, but I need to ask you a favor…"

She didn't even blink.

"Sure! What do you need?"

I put two of my fingers together and twirled them around, pretending to be slightly embarrassed.

"Well… You see… Last time I ordered something and Elliot delivered it to me, it was a certain spice… I asked him to put it away for me, but he put it on a high shelf and I can't reach it…

"_Wow, that sounds convincing! And it makes sense!_"

She nodded her head in understanding.

"Of course Pierre."

She exited out of her home, locked the door, and followed me to my house.

Once we were in front of my house, I opened the door and went inside- she followed behind me. Of course the lights were off, and the guests inside of my house were good… They made sure that they were as far away from the door as possible.

"You stay here by the door Chelsea while I get the lights."

I think she nodded her head before she closed the door behind her. As soon as she did- the lights suddenly turned on and everyone shouted, "SURPISE!" in unison (including me).

The first thing she did was jump back a little, probably scared her half to death, and then she smiled. The first person to approach her was Julia, and she hugged her like friends would do.

After the hug ended, Chelsea looked like she went a little teary eyed. I guess she loves surprise birthday parties…

I then heard her ask, almost in a whisper, "Who set up my surprise party?"

Mark appeared from the crowd and I noticed her face fell from a smile to a blank face… I had a feeling that those two weren't on good terms right now, so, I thought it would be best for me to give her my gift now- and then go see Natalie… I tried to interrupt them before any words could be exchanged between them, but someone else beat me to it.

"Ah, so you must be Chelsea! I have heard so much about you!"

That was one of the strangers voice. He walked up to Chelsea and took her hand, shaking it, a handshake.

The stranger was wearing the regular neat black suit with a white tie to match and he had short black hair, like Dr. Trent's almost.

"_Why does he seem familiar to me?_"

"Uh… It's nice to be known, but I don't know you." Chelsea said to the stranger.

"Sorry about that. My name is Takeshi Kaga_** (6)**_."

I couldn't help but gasp. I knew who he was now… He is one of the famous and best gourmets in the world! To add on to his reputation, he owns the best cookery company and a 5 star restaurant in the world! I only know him because I have been trying for _years_ to get onto his staff at his 5 star restaurant. I have dreamed since I was- a kid to be part of it... I don't want to be part of his staff because of their recognition (that restaurant does have a TV show)_**(7)**_, but because of the creations that they come up with together. Sometimes their creations are so unique that it would cost 8,000G or more to have _one bite_ of that dish! I have also dreamed to taste one of their dishes…

"_But… What is he doing here? Why is he on 'Sunny Island'?_"

That was a question I had going through my mind… I then smiled and laughed to myself, just a little.

"_Oh my Goddess! Maybe he is __finally__ here to see my skills! Maybe he will accept me!_"

As I said before, I have been trying for years to work at his 5 star restaurant. I have sent him sample videos, recipes and more to him, that would show that I am a great gourmet and a hard worker. I sent him anything that would show my talents… But, I was in for an unpleasant surprise…

"I am one of the best gourmets in the world and I own the best cookery company in the world! The reason why I am here is because your boss, Mr. Mills, called Mayor Avarice about a week ago- and according to him_**(8)**_, Mark praised your cooking skills, and he thought that we should come by to see your skills."

I couldn't help but look at Mark in shock…

"_He… called them…? For- Chelsea?_"

I felt like I was just stabbed in the heart with a knife, and then it was twisted just for me to get the most out of it- in pain…

I didn't understand… If Mark knew Mr. Kaga, then why didn't he _tell_ me! Or, better yet, why didn't he call them for me? He knows my dream! I have told him countless times- especially when I first met him 2 years ago…!

And in that moment, I felt angry and sad…

* * *

**Julia's POV**

I had my mouth covered the whole time in surprise- happy for Chelsea. It's seems that Mark called a famous man to look at her cooking skills! I will admit that I feel a little envious of her, since she is a great cook. I ate some of her cooking once…

"_Well, this explains why we are at Pierre's house… Or, at least I think so?_"

The man, Mr. Kaga continued, "And, to test your skills, we are going to let you cook a few dishes- with the ingredient of our choice."

He waved his hand at the big counter behind him. Something was there, but I couldn't see what it was because it was covered with a large white cloth.

"The ingredient of our choice is hidden under that white cloth… Once you are set, then we will begin." He finished.

"Uh… Who is 'we'?" Chelsea asked.

Truthfully, I was wondering the same thing earlier.

Mr. Kaga moved to the side a bit, showing two men that I didn't notice were there before… One of them looked familiar… He was wearing purple- like Pierre… And, he _looked_ like a gourmet person… But, I could be wrong…

"I'm Gourmet!_**(9)**_" The big and round guy in purple said while shaking Chelsea's hand.

"_Such an obvious name…_"

"And I am Mayor Avarice!_**(10)**_" The other man said, shaking Chelsea's hand after the other let go.

"_So… That is Mayor Avarice… I heard of him from Mark once…_"

Mayor Avarice was a somewhat tall man and a little on the heavy side, but not as big as Mr. Gourmet. His hair was a mixture of brown and red, and in a small low pony tail in the back, but cut short. The clothes he wore wouldn't be something I would be caught dead wearing- gym-like clothes… The whole long sleeved and thick sweater-like shirt the color black and long black pants to match. However, he made up with his plain appearance with jewelry, and he was heavy with that… He had a ring on every finger of different variety and he wore some sort of necklace around his neck. To add on to that, he wore some sort of tag that looked like it was made of all gold- with his name written in gold as well… To add on to _that_, he had a cane in his right hand, and at the top of it, the handle, looked like it was made from a real diamond. I couldn't help but groan in slight anger.

"_So, is that where our rent money is going to? He doesn't look poor to me!_"

I held back the slap I wanted to inflict on the man.

I noticed the Mayor looked at Chelsea's damaged arm.

"My… What happened to your arm?"

Chelsea chuckled nervously.

"Well, it's a long story…"

"That won't stop you from doing your job, will it?"

I realized that he wasn't asking Chelsea about her arm because he was concerned for her health; he was more concerned about the money aspect!

"_If I could just be alone with that man for one second…_"

I saw Chelsea frown a bit; she most likely understood what he was getting at as well. But, just like me, she held back.

"No Mayor. It doesn't stop me from doing my job… I get my help from someone, at least, until my arm gets better…" She said to him.

The Mayor nodded his head and smiled in approval, and I again held back the slap I wanted to give him. Instead, I let my mind linger to what Chelsea said to him.

I couldn't help but smirk. The 'someone' she was referring to was Vaughn of course. Speaking of him, he has been a little 'happier' then usual… Well, he was on Wednesday morning. But, he looked pissed off yesterday morning…

My smirk widened. I heard that Chelsea has been hanging out with Denny lately… Could it be possible that Vaughn was jealous of Denny hanging out with her so much?

"_Why don't I just ask Denny- or Vaughn?_"

I looked around real quick, but to my dismay, Vaughn was nowhere to be seen. I saw Denny though, talking to Lanna of course- no surprise there... I was about to approach them, but that is when Mr. Kaga got everyone's attention, by clapping his hands loudly and cupping his hands over his mouth to carry his voice across the house.

"Attention everyone!"

The voices of the people died down slowly, but completely stopped a minute or two later. He pulled his hands away from his mouth.

"Thank you…! Now, to those of you that don't know me, my name is Takeshi Kaga!"

He pointed to Mr. Gourmet and Mayor Avarice.

"And there is Mr. Gourmet and Mayor Avarice!"

He waited for a few moments before he continued.

"The reason why we are here is to test Miss Chelsea cooking skills! In order to do that, we are giving her an ingredient of our choice! We are going to ask Miss Chelsea to cook three entries! One appetizer dish, one main course dish, and one dessert dish! And- she will have only 1 hour and 30 minutes to cook these dishes!"

There were a few gasps and muttering around the room, obviously finding such a task to be impossible- if not impossible!

Mr. Kaga waited before he continued again. He put up one finger while he smiled.

"And... If she succeeds and we like her cooking enough- we will sell her cooking products around the world!_**(11)**_"

I couldn't help but clap and cheer for her, others followed. Again, he waited until we quieted down before he continued. This time though, he faced Chelsea.

"So, are you up for the challenge? It is your choice after all." He said to her.

I looked at Chelsea, and she looked shocked and excited at the same time. She was obviously debating the issue in her mind. I heard some people in the background encouraging her to accept the challenge. I saw her looking around, at those that were encouraging her- and then her eyes finally landed on me. I just smiled at her and mouthed to her, "Go for it girl!"

She smiled at that and she looked back at Mr. Kaga, her eyes twinkling with determination.

"I accept!"

I cheered again and so did the others in the house. Mr. Kaga nodded his head.

"Very well then!"

He walked to the counter, going behind it. He put a hand on the white cloth that was covering it.

"So… Are you ready?" He asked her.

Of course she wasn't ready! She looked around the kitchen again, looking for an apron most likely… And then she smiled and ran past the counter, obviously finding what she was looking for. I saw her stop between the huge silver fridge and the red oven sitting on the gray table. As I figured, she took an apron off of the hook. But, it wasn't exactly an apron. It was more like a coat- a _chef_ coat. It was completely white with small black buttons it looked like (it was hard to see from my spot).

She quickly put it on (her injured arm just slipping inside of the other sleeve) before she ran back to the counter, standing in front of it, the opposite of where Mr. Kaga stood. She nodded her head, indicating that she was ready. He just smiled in reply.

"And the cooking ingredient is-"

He lifted the white sheet, revealing the ingredient before he finished. I saw what it was, and I couldn't help but be a little skeptical about it.

"_How can you make a dessert dish with __that__!_"

"-Eggplant!" He finished.

And of course, the counter was covered with eggplants. I couldn't see Chelsea's face, but I had an idea that she was frowning or something to indicate her frustration.

"Now… Usually, help would be provided for you, at least, in my cooking show! But, since this is not my show- then you are on your own!"

"_Well, that sucks… She might not make it…_" I thought.

"That's okay. I can do it!" I heard Chelsea say in reply.

I smiled at her response, not surprised in the least. He again nodded his head, obviously proud of her response.

"Very well! Now, to your station!"

Chelsea took as many of the eggplants as she could in her one arm and then she ran over to the stove, putting the eggplants in the sink. She turned around to face the man again.

"Now, you are allowed to cook anything! However, it must have eggplant in it! If it does not- points will be taken off!" He said in all seriousness.

She just nodded her head in understanding. The man took out what looked like a stopwatch from his pocket. And then he took something out of his other pocket and put it on the counter- it was a kitchen alarm clock. He turned the knob of the timer to the set time.

"As soon as this timer goes off- you _must_ stop! No exceptions! Do you have any questions!"

Chelsea shook her head. Mr. Kaga nodded once again.

"Ready…"

Chelsea turned towards the stove, and she only turned her head slightly to look at him now, her hand just lightly brushing the knob, but not putting her hand on it completely.

"Set…"

I felt like jumping up, all the excitement too much to bear…

"ALLEZ CUISINE!_**(12)**_"

And Chelsea immediately started moving, as quick as she could- turning the stove on first.

"You can do it Chelsea!" I yelled across the room.

Others shouted their own encouragement to her. I crossed my fingers, hoping for the best for her.

* * *

**Vaughn's POV**

The boat was a half-hour earlier than usual. One of the crew members lowered the plank. I picked up the bag, Chelsea's gift, off of the floor and went down the plank.

"There you are Vaughn!"

I sighed.

"_Why me?_"

I looked in the direction where Denny's voice came from. Sure enough, he was standing there. I don't know how long he has been there (strange that I didn't see him while I was on the boat), but it must have been a while if he was expecting me. He jogged up to me and stopped in front of me.

"Man, what you took you so long! I was beginning to wonder if you were coming or not. We have about 5 minutes left before her time is up."

I had no idea what he was talking about. I must have shown my confusion on my face, because he then realized his mistake and he chuckled nervously.

"I guess you'll have to see what I mean…"

He turned away from me and ran to the exit of the beach, but he turned to face me once again- seeing that I was still standing there.

"Come on Vaughn!" He shouted from his position.

I sighed once more and jogged to where he stood. He didn't move from his spot until I was close enough- and then he kept going, with me jogging behind him. I saw him turn his head towards me slightly, but he was looking down at the bag I was carrying. I groaned inward, knowing what he was about to say and do.

As I expected, he grinned at the bag I held before he looked at me directly briefly.

"I thought you weren't going to get her anything?"

"I changed my mind, so what?"

He turned away from me, but I had a feeling that he was smiling, a feeling of triumph most likely. I felt my eye twitch just a little in annoyance. Why did he have to be right?

We finally reached Pierre's place. Denny was regaining his breath (and so was I, but not as much). He then reached for the doorknob, but that was when the door was opened from the inside- and a lot of people began to leave Pierre's house. Denny and I quickly backed away from the door to prevent being run over by anybody. I was only looking for one person to come out, but I didn't see the familiar red bandana that I was looking for… I even ignored the familiar and annoying blue cap belonging to a certain person… But, when it looked like everyone came out of the house, none of them was Chelsea...

"_Did she even leave the house?_"

Before I could turn around and look at the crowd closely, figuring that maybe I missed her, someone stood in front of me. I just glared at Julia.

"What is it Julia?"

She had that slick type of smile on her face.

"So, you did show up to her party! Well, I am surprised. It's not even your day either… And, what's that in your hand?"

She tried to grab the bag, knowing that I wouldn't show her, but I simply moved it out of her reach.

"It's none of your business. Even if I did want to show you, you'll just mess it up." I told her simply.

"Mess it up? What exactly is in there?"

She again tried to reach for it, but I moved it out of her reach again. She finally pouted in defeat, but then she did that stupid, slick, smile I hate so much not too long after.

"Oh my Vaughn… Did you get Chelsea a gift that is only for her eyes? Something that might be- inappropriate?"

I growled at her and I had this strong urge to push her, but she ran off before I could consider doing the action. I looked back at the house, and just then, the door opened. And the one that walked out was the one I was looking for. Before I could even take one step towards her, she spoke loud enough for everyone to hear her.

"Mr. Kaga said that everyone can come back in now!"

Since I was close to the door anyway, I was able to walk in first. Chelsea saw me, even just a glimpse, and she smiled at me. She obviously wasn't expecting me. And of course, I didn't exactly plan to come to her party either… But, maybe coming wasn't such a bad idea anymore…

She walked up to the large counter where some of the eggplants were, but she was facing the table where two people sat, and one of them was standing. Each of them had a plate in their hand- half finished it looked like.

"_What is going on here?_"

I wouldn't know, since I just got here pretty much.

As if someone read my mind, Denny appeared next to me and told me what I was confused about.

"You missed the whole cooking uh- contest…"

I looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Cooking contest? Who she go against- Pierre? That's not much of a challenge- it's more like one side wins..."

Denny rolled his eyes, but he didn't laugh or chuckle at least.

"My bad, wrong wording. It's not exactly a cooking contest… It's more like her getting her cooking skills te-"

"Attention everyone!"

I brought my attention towards the voice, and I just assumed it was Mr…. Kaga I think Chelsea said his name might be…

"So, we have tried out her food real quick and each of us will make a comment on it. Starting with me commenting her appetizer dish."

He took a bite out of the food on his plate- or bowl rather, and he looked like he was chewing it slowly- most likely to taste the flavor of whatever she cooked. After a few moments of complete silence, he finally spoke.

"Well, I have to say that this Stew is absolutely amazing. Not only do I barely taste any of the other ingredients, I hardly even taste any of the seasoning you threw in here. It's not too salty and it's not too spicy. It's, as the Goldie Locks would say, taste 'just right'." The man said.

Some of the people in the house clapped their hands and they didn't quiet down until a few seconds later.

The guy, wearing a lot of jewelry I might add, stood up from his own seat.

"I'm trying her Savory Pancake dish- a main course meal- and I have to say that I taste the eggplant more than the potato. I can see that there are onions in it as well, but that taste was most likely covered by the cheese she used. I also couldn't taste the cucumbers at all, though I tasted a tad bit of the turnips. But overall, this dish tastes exquisite! It doesn't even taste dry even a little, the melted cheese kept it moist! Well done!"

He sat back down as the people in the house clapped their hands again.

"_Don't they get tired of doing that?_"

The last (big) guy wearing purple overall, who reminded me of a _very_ large version of Pierre (though more- monster looking), stood from his seat at the table.

"I have to say that I am somewhat amazed that you were able to pull off making a dessert with eggplant. You are creative, I give you that. Anyway, this dessert that you made, that you call 'Eggplant Bread Pudding', it tastes _very_ good! The texture of the bread is somewhat crumbly, moist and chewy- all good qualities. It has a very deep chocolate taste that's only helped infuse the taste of the chocolate sauce. There's a definite taste of eggplant, but it's very mild, very weak, not likely to be tasted at all unless someone was looking for the taste of eggplant in this dish. As for the whipped cream, it gives it a bit of 'lightness' to the dessert. Overall, this is G-O-O-D!"

He sat back down as the people in the background clapped loud once again; I heard a few 'whoops' here and there. I don't see what the big deal was, it's not like she's going to get any prize money… The man that spoke in the first place, waited for the claps and all to die down before she spoke again.

"And now… For our overall results…"

He reached towards the table and took a clipboard off of it. He looked at it and then he looked at Chelsea directly.

"For the appetizer dish… You got 8.5 out of 10 points."

Nobody clapped that time, obviously waiting now… Thank Goddess…

"For the main course meal… You got 9.5 out of 10 points."

I looked at Chelsea (though I could only see her back), and it looked she was trembling, just a little- showing her anxiety. The man obviously was taking advantage of the pause- making it more 'dramatic' then necessary.

"For the dessert and final dish… You got- 10 out of 10!"

And that was when the crowd clapped- louder than before… Their clapping was beginning to hurt my ears… They quieted down, waiting for the man to say something else obviously.

"Putting all of these numbers together… Your average score is about 9.3 out of 10- almost perfect! So… What do you think our decision is?" He asked her.

I saw Chelsea shrug her shoulders before she said, "I just hope it's good."

The man simply smiled at her. And then he said, "I hope it's good as well… Our decision is that we have decided to- sell your cooking products around the world!"

I couldn't help but widen my eyes in surprise, while the crowd around the house went wild with their cheers for her.

"_So, that is what is going on… They're planning to sell her cooking products…?_"

"_Hey, that means you get to taste her cooking without asking her! Good news for you._" My conscience said to me.

I ignored the words and regained my blank face. I saw Chelsea heading towards the table where the three men were waiting. I made tracks in the same direction, stopping next to her (but not close).

"Congratulations Chelsea! Now… I have one question for you… What would you like to sell first? It can be anything in any course."

"Well Mr. Kaga-"

"_Well, I was right about his name…_"

"- I would like to start with dessert dishes… I like making dessert dishes…" She said to him.

Just then, that damn rancher appeared, by Mr. Kaga. Chelsea looked at him, and he kind of avoided her gaze by looking down. I was hoping she was still pissed off with him- despite this 'party' he may have threw for her…

"Very well Chelsea. I will talk this over with the Mayor and Gourmet."

He turned away from her and spoke to the other two people- who turned out to be the Mayor and Gourmet (what kind of name is that?). And that is when Mark took one step towards Chelsea.

"So Chelsea… Are you still- mad at me…?"

I heard her sigh, and I didn't like the way she sighed…

"_Please tell me you're not forgiving him that fast…_"

"So, Mark… You planned out this whole thing?"

He scratched the back of his head, and he had this noticeable redness appear across his face (ugh!). I almost scowled, but I held back.

"Y-yeah I did… I truthfully did it because I liked the taste of your curry rice that I tasted- days ago… I called the Mayor, asking him about selling cooking products, and he agreed to the idea. Though, he said it'll take him a little time to find a company that would sell cooking products… But, I didn't know he would get such a famous man to do it!" He said with a stupid smile on his face.

The smile on his face faded again, and he looked away from Chelsea, his eyes looking elsewhere.

"Like I asked before- are you still mad at me Chelsea…?"

"I have to say Mark that you are not like most bosses… You seem to be trying to spoil me… First you got me a house, then my rucksack, and now this…"

Mark said nothing to that. Her words sounded harsh, but her voice didn't sound angry. She finally sighed, as if in defeat. I sighed through my nose, having a feeling what she was going to tell him.

"I- guess I forgive you… I can't really stay mad at you…"

I don't know if my eye twitched or not in annoyance, because she sure as hell stayed mad at me for a while before she forgave me… Wait, I think she was madder at Mark for a longer period of time then she was with me…

Mark looked at her again with a smile.

"I'm glad to hear that!"

"However…"

His face fell after he heard that. I, with difficulty, kept the grin I wanted to make off of my face.

"I won't trust you as much… I have a hard time forgiving people that lie to me- unless the person had a good reason for doing it… But, I highly doubt you have a good reason for your lie…"

Well, that was harsh, but, not my problem- he wasn't me and I sure as hell wasn't him. So, not my problem.

Mark sighed at her words, but he lightly smiled at her anyway.

"Well, it's a start at least…"

Just then, Mr. Kaga came back from the table, and he looked a little distressed.

"Well, I have good news and a little bad news… The good news Chelsea is that we have agreed to sell your products as soon as we can… The bad news is that—we don't have a name for your products… Something that can stick out or say some sort of message… Can you come up with a name…?"

I looked at Chelsea, and she looked like she was thinking. But, it looked like she was drawing a blank in her mind. And, surprising myself and the others, I gave them one.

"How about…. Cheery Chelsea…?_**(13)**_" I said to Mr. Kaga.

Where did that come from? I don't know… It sounds stupid and clichéd (more so) then the birthday bag that is holding her gift… I think I should make an appointment with Dr. Trent whenever I have the chance…

But, instead of the expected laughter, I got surprised looks all around- well except from Mr. Kaga- he looked like he was really thinking about what I said… Mark's face held more shock then Chelsea's did… I pulled down the rim of my hat to hide my embarrassment…

"You know what… That sounds like a good name!"

Mark and Chelsea both looked at him in surprise, I think I did too.

"Cheery Chelsea… Wow… It does sound cliché I admit… But, it's the type that still makes people laugh just a little and wonder even a little what kind of product it is- before even looking at the other words!" Mr. Kaga said.

He then looked at me and smiled.

"I like it! And I have you to thank Mr."

"Vaughn is fine…" I replied, my face still somewhat covered by my hat.

He nodded his head.

"Vaughn! Now-"

He looked at Chelsea.

"I didn't get to ask you what would be the first dessert you would like to make."

Without even hesitating, she said, "Cheesecake!" with a smile on her face.

I don't know if she noticed, but Mark mouthed the same words, though not out loud like her…

"_How did he know that….?_"

It pissed me off, just a little, that he could almost think like Chelsea… I didn't like the possibility of that…

"Hmmm… Wow… A tongue twister huh? So, it'll be called, 'Cheery Chelsea Creamy Cheesecake'! Excellent!"

He turned away from us and joined the other two men he was with before. Chelsea then faced me.

"Well Vaughn, I didn't know you had it in you. Stuff like that didn't seem to be in you."

I decided not to reply, to at least not embarrass myself any further. I instead lifted up her gift in front of her. She looked at it, blinking her eyes in disbelief, and then she smiled- a very wide one…

"Is that for me?"

I simply nodded my head and silently thanking whoever was listening to me that my hat was most likely covering the blush on my face- that I _know_ is there. She took the bag from me and looked inside, being very gentle. Her eyes widened in surprise and her smile widened as she put a hand into the bag to take out her gift.

She took out the plush horse and looked at it. She then looked back at me with the smile still on her face.

"Vaughn… Do you even know what this is?" She said, though her voice seemed to be shaking just a little.

"A- plushy horse….?"

What was she expecting me to say?

And then suddenly, she surprised me and Mark by basically jumping at me and wrapping her arms around me.

"_What the hell!_"

"OH THANK YOU, THANK YOU! I don't even _have_ this one! I always wanted this one so bad!" She said, being grateful.

I just stood there frozen, not sure how to react to- this weird embrace she was giving me. So, I just stood there instead, waiting for her to let go… Though, I will admit that I didn't want her to- I was too busy enjoying the pissed off expression from Mark. Though, he was really trying to hide it- but not well enough from me.

He finally turned away from the scene (I guess it was too horrible for him to handle) and walked off- though it looked like he more stomped off somewhere. I just grinned slightly, because I wasn't expecting her to do that…

She finally let go and then she began to twirl, just a little, like a little kid… Yeah, describing her being cheery seems to suit her pretty well… Childish might work too, but it doesn't sound right- or something… Her laughter made me snap out of my thoughts, looking at her.

"This thing- must have cost you a fortune to get Vaughn… I already have almost every Beanie Baby toy, except for this horse one… My dad tried to get it for me when I was younger, but… He couldn't get it because the place where it was being sold was sold out… So, I had to give up on the search…"

She looked at me, with that- cute smile on her face…

"And since it was one of those buy once in a lifetime ones, I couldn't get it unless someone sold their own… So, I really am grateful…"

I pulled down my hat further (is that even possible?), to hide anything my face might be displaying for the world to see. I heard someone cough, and I looked in the direction of the cough- as did Chelsea I think.

And of course, it had to be Denny… Damn it…! Well, at least it wasn't Julia…

He wasn't alone either, Lanna stood by him, and her mouth was covered. I decided not to talk; I don't know how my voice would sound right now…

"Hey Chelsea…! So, I got you something too!" He said with that grin on his face.

He reached into his pocket to take something out, but he was interrupted by Lanna- not surprising somehow…

She stood in front of Chelsea, with some sort of CD case in her hand. I didn't know what it exactly was, but I had an idea…

"Chelsea, this CD is one of my best records that I made before I- temporarily retired. I sold over 100,000 copies! And I am giving you the honor of listening to it." She said with a smile.

I rolled my eyes- very self-absorbent isn't she?

But, Chelsea being the nice person that she is nodded her head in thanks and took the CD case. She put her stuffed horse back inside of the bag I gave her and then she put the CD inside to join it. Just as she did that, Pierre came from around Lanna (was he there before?). He looked up at Chelsea, though, it looked like with a forced smile on his face, and he presented her a neatly wrapped gift present. She took it from him, and she slowly peeled away the wrapping paper with her one hand (it was pressed against her legs). And what she revealed, not surprising really, was a shiny silver soup ladle. She thanked Pierre before she put it in the bag. Pierre walked off, and I noticed that he looked- angry about something for once… But I shrugged it off, it was probably nothing…

I felt someone tugging on my sleeve, just a little. I looked to the side and down, and there stood the weird- I mean, Sabrina.

She turned her face away from me just a little, and she was holding something in her hand that was wrapped up and in the shape of a large rectangle.

"I-I wanted to thank you…" She said in a low voice that I barely heard her.

"For what?"

"F-F-For the chocolate b-bar... You didn't have to g-give me one…"

I shrugged my shoulders, not finding it such a big deal. It was only giri-choco, but whatever.

"No problem." I simply told her.

She walked away from me and approached Chelsea. Chelsea smiled at her, and Sabrina simply presented the present to her.

"I-I hope you l-like it…" She stuttered.

Chelsea took it from her, and gently took the wrapper off of the item to reveal what was inside. Her smile widened when she saw the item. I only could see the picture frame from my position. But, I slide myself to stand beside Chelsea to look at the large picture… And I have to say, that the picture was very- nice. It was a picture of Chelsea sitting at the Meadow (that was the title, in small letters) while wearing her work clothes. The grass was green and she was sitting on the grass with her one knee up and both of her hands resting on it. Her head was leaning on her hands as well… But, her eyes were closed…_**(14)**_

And, for a reason that I can't seem to pinpoint at all, that was disappointing… Her blue eyes that I have seen a few times (though not looking directly into them) I guess wouldn't be seen… I'm not even going to ponder why I am disappointed about her eyes not showing- even though everything else in the picture was right… The way the mixed colors of the sunset hitting against her skin that looks so- smooth…. Even her long chestnut brown hair, covered with her red bandana, looked nice- while blowing in the wind….

I couldn't help but look at Chelsea's head directly… The last time I saw her without the bandana on her head was the time when I rescued (should I call it that?) her from the mines, and it wasn't on her head… And the time when I put it back on her head myself…

I shook the thoughts out of my head- and buried that strong urge I had (again) to look within her blue eyes now… I'm so- lost right now…

"D-Do you like it?" I heard Sabrina ask her.

She nodded her head in reply of course.

"Sabrina… This is _very_ beautiful… Thank you." She said to her.

Sabrina smiled just a little. And then Julia finally appeared from some unknown place. She handed Chelsea her present, or more like shoving it into her now empty arm (she put the picture inside of the bag). She shook her head at Julia's eagerness.

"Be careful, it might explode." I told her.

Julia pouted of course, and I just hid my half-smile under my hat. She had both of her hands on her hip.

"That isn't me that be doing that!"

"It's true… My sister does that though…" That nerd, Elliot, said with a sigh.

I just shrugged my shoulders in reply. I heard Chelsea sigh just a little, but she shook her head and tried not to giggle it looked like.

She opened her present and what Julia got her was a red tank top- not that surprising really… It looked like the same type that Julia is wearing… Ugh, if it looks horrible on her, it's not going to look good on Chelsea…

I looked at the top again and then I looked at Chelsea, imagining what she could possibly look like in it. And I did not like the image that formed in my mind…

I pulled my hat down and I looked down to the ground to cover anything my face was showing. I heard Julia laugh.

"_Please tell me she is not laughing at me…_"

"Now Vaughn, why are you looking down? Could it be possible that you are you thinking what Chelsea would look like in the tank top I just gave her?"

I didn't look up to look at her, but I growled at her- though my face I think turned redder then it was already… Luckily nobody could see it…

"I don't think Vaughn is like that Julia." Chelsea said to her.

I imagined Julia smirking or something at her.

"You have no idea Chelsea."

I imagined Chelsea giving a Julia a confused look, while tilting her head to the side a little… I wasn't in the mood to defend myself, but I did look up, thinking my face wasn't red anymore. At that time, Elliot walked up to Chelsea with his own poorly wrapped up gift (didn't anybody else put it into a bag like I did?).

Chelsea opened it, and it turned out to be a book light… Typical of him… But, she thanked him none-the-less, turns out she can use it anyway due to her having books in her house. Though, I don't remember seeing a bookshelf in her house...

Finally, that is when Denny walked in front of Chelsea.

"As I was saying, being the _first_ being here-"

"I gave her her first present actually." I said to Denny.

One of his eyes twitched in annoyance, I guess for being interrupted again. But, he looked back at Chelsea with that stupid silly smile on his face again.

"Anyway, I got you- this!"

He lifted up his hand and it was- earrings? Not the traditional sparkly type of earrings though, they were earrings with- some type of teeth dangling from the little piece of metal holding it up… In fact, it looked the same type of teeth like that tooth that is on his neck, except, there was a little red at the sharp ends of it (blood!).

"Uh… Denny, what exactly is this?" She asked.

"Earrings!"

"I know that Denny… I mean, what is the material of the earrings?"

"The material? You mean the shark tooth? Each one has one shark tooth at the end. Since I captured a shark once, the thing has a lot of teeth so- I thought I make something simple with it." He said with a shrug.

Typical Denny of course… She took the earrings (not touching the teeth at all) and hooked them to some space on the bag itself. Denny didn't look offended though.

"Thank you Denny…. I think…"

"You're welcome of course!" He said with a wink.

She was about to say something else to him, but that is when jungle boy came out of nowhere (is there anybody _not_ here!).

"Chelsea take mine too!" He exclaimed, while jumping a little, excited about something.

Chelsea just took his present, a small knife made out of rock it looked like, and she carefully put it into the bag with the others.

"Thank you Shea."

He just nodded happily, and then he looked at the eggplants on the large counter, his eyes widened at the food and he walked over to the counter… Obviously going to take the 'leftovers'- not that I wouldn't either- that is if I liked eggplant to begin with anyway…

Denny waved his hand at his bird on his shoulder.

"Kuu got you something too Chelsea."

Sure enough, in its beak was a flower that looked very wilted, but it didn't look dead at least…

The black bird, Kuu, flew off of Denny's shoulder with its little wings moving up and down frantically and nonstop, almost like a humming bird's. Kuu landed on Chelsea's shoulder and dropped the flower inside of the bag. Then it looked at her with its large unblinking saucer-like eyes. Chelsea looked back at it and then she giggled.

"Thank you Kuu." She said, hitting him gently with the tip of her nose.

If I didn't know better, I would have thought I saw the bird- blush or something…

"_What the hell exactly is that thing?_"

Kuu flew off of her shoulder and landed back on Denny's. Denny just chuckled lightly. Though, I noticed the bird turned slightly away and stare at someone with its round eyes. I didn't really get the chance to see who, because Chelsea's words made me focus only on her.

"So Denny, want to hang out- again?"

I tried to not glare at him, but I don't think I succeeded much… He seemed to ignore my looks, and he shook his head with a smile on his face.

"Sorry Chelsea, but I need to fish extra hard today. I'm kind of running low on funds, so I'll most likely be on my boat… And there are rules about woman being on board… Hope you understand."

She simply shrugged her shoulders, I guess not that disappointed. But then, Denny did something that I would have to get him back for later… He pushed me- making my whole body slightly hit Chelsea.

"Buuuuuut, I heard Vaughn has nothing to do! So, why don't you hang with him for a while." He said.

I stood there in shock, but I regained my composure quickly. But, before I could protest about the whole ordeal, he walked off with a giggling Lanna following behind him.

"_What the hell was that about? I'm going to-_"

"Well, I guess I'm stuck with you Vaughn." She said as she turned to me with a smile.

I just stood there, and said nothing, due to the whole thing being unexpected. I saw her twirl her fingers, feeling uncomfortable with the silence between us… I coughed to break the silence at least a little.

"So… Uh, what exactly was this whole thing about?"

It's not that I didn't figure it out, it's just that something needed to end this stupid silence.

"Well, as you know, Mark called them to- make a deal with them about me making my own cooking products."

She then giggled.

"Cheery Chelsea… I really never knew you had it in you…"

I turned my head away from her and pulled my hat down. I wish she stop bringing that up. The idea just came to me, so, I don't know what went through my mind when I said it…

"Anyway, the ingredient was eggplant. I had to make 3 course meals with the ingredient, including dessert."

I gave her an odd look with an eyebrow raised.

"A dessert with eggplant? How did you manage that?"

"I kind of just- mixed things together… But, they said it taste good, so, I'm not complaining. I'll make it whenever I'm craving for chocolate and eggplant."

"That sounds- gross truthfully…"

She just shrugged her shoulders at me.

"I guess it would, but it must taste good…"

I couldn't help but groan in disgust.

"Well, at least it wasn't carrots…" I said to her.

She looked me with confusion clearly on her face.

"You have something against carrots?"

I grimaced.

"Yeah…"

"Why?"

"None of your business."

Maybe that was a little- out of line. But it really was none of her business… The only one who knows why is Aunt Mirabelle, and thank the Goddess, that only she knew- Julia doesn't know… Otherwise she'll use carrots against me whenever she wants something for me, or for revenge- or for something else… And I rather not think about what that 'something else' means…

"Oh… I didn't mean to hit a sore spot…"

I heard her sigh, but then she smiled at me lightly. I just don't understand her…

"So, where should we hang out?"

I simply shrugged my shoulders. I wouldn't know. I don't usually 'hang out' or whatever the hell people want to call it. I would usually, if not always, do my work and then, I guess, relax at the forest or the beach. Or, I just go home and laze around.

"Well, how about we go to the diner to eat. I didn't get a chance to really eat anything." She offered to me.

I pointed to the bag that held all of her gifts.

"Don't you want to put that away first?" I asked her.

"Oh yeah… Well, I guess I'll go by their first…"

She headed towards the door and I followed her. Since her house was basically right across from Pierre's house, it didn't take long to reach her house. She unlocked her door, entered it, and came back out not too long after.

"How about we go to the Café instead? Unless you don't want to go there of course."

"Well… That's not a bad idea actually… It's still early, and not to mention, cake is sold there… And ice cream…"

Her eyes twinkled as she said that…

"_So… She has a sweet tooth too…? I might get myself some as well…_"

We simply walked to the Café and entered. It was mostly empty, except for a few people here and there… We walked up to the counter, with her in front of me. After all, she should go first to order, it is her birthday…

"I would like a slice of chocolate cake and a bowl of ice-cream." She said.

"_That sounds good…_"

"I'll have the same thing." I said to the old woman behind the counter.

"Here or to go?" The woman asked.

"Here." Chelsea replied.

She nodded her head and then she walked off to get our orders. We decided to take our seats at a table closest to the door- or it was more like I decided… I like being as close to the door as possible- to leave as quickly as possible… She sat across from me and she twirled her fingers around…

"So… I know I asked you this before and you didn't want to answer it but… Why do you dress like a cowboy?"

I groaned in annoyance. The last time she asked me that was-? Wait, when was that…? Oh right… It was that time we were bringing the animals to the ranch- and we ended up getting tied together… I almost laughed at the memory- I still remember her red face. It was too damn funny! I held back the half-smile that I wanted to make.

"I'm not telling you…" I told her.

She pouted, just a little, and folded her arms (or at least she tried to- since one of her arms is in a sling).

"I don't understand…! It's not right to be so- mysterious about it!"

I looked at her with an eyebrow raised.

"Mysterious?"

I never really thought of it that way before.

"So… Just because I dress this way, I'm mysterious?"

"Well… Yeah… Not to mention, your belt makes it even more so…"

I don't understand why what I wear would make me 'mysterious' still. But, I didn't voice that out loud, I instead asked, "What about my belt?"

"Well… The initials… I can't figure out what USI stands for- and I'm usually good at that type of thing…"

I don't know what USI stands for either. It never occurred to me before. I just got the damn thing because it matched my outfit, to a degree, and it just held my pants up… Well, that is only a little of the truth… The guy I got it from told me that the initials stood for 'Ultimate Silent Individual', so, I got the thing thinking it would tell people that I don't like to talk much. In other words, don't talk to me… But of course, the damn thing does the opposite… Not that I expected it to really work- I'm not gullible!

"What do you think the initials stand for?" I asked her.

She smiled happily at that and told me.

"Well… At first, I thought it stood for 'Undercover Secret Investigator', which I think fits you perfectly. You are quiet- like an investigator is supposed to be. You seem to keep to yourself most of the time… And you are always working… Are you investigating something?"

Okay… Only three words went through my mind, "What the hell?"

She sounds- crazy… But, if she thinks it stands for that do other people think that too! Though, I guess I could be mistaken to be some sort of investigator… But, come on, do I look like one? I highly doubt that…

"I'm not investigating anything… And that is because I am not an investigator…"

She sighed, as if she was disappointed. I think my eye twitched in annoyance. Why would she be upset that I am not an investigator? I like my job enough- thank you very much.

"Anyway, I also thought it stood for 'Ultimate Silent Individual'."

I couldn't help but smirk at that one. That is exactly what the vendor told me. I saw her smile; I guess she saw my smirk.

"That one sounds better?"

"It does… The guy who sold me the belt told me the initials stood for that."

I saw her smile widened, and I think she was about to giggle.

"Bu-But, not that I really believed him though…! I just got the thing because it matches my clothes- and it's useful."

She shrugged her shoulders, but I could tell that she still wanted to giggle- probably at my slight naiveté's.

"Wa-Was that all?" I asked her, to get her to move on to something else.

Her face slowly fell into a sad expression… Did I say something wrong?

"I-I also thought it stood for- 'Unacknowledged Sadistic Individual'…"

I couldn't stop the growl that escaped from my mouth.

"Do I _look_ like a…."

I stopped… I thought about the words again… And I have to sadly admit, that those words did seem to fit me… I'm an unappreciated and unkind person… But, only to those that only see what they want to see, I don't really think I'm like that… Am I?

I wasn't sure anymore…

"B-but it's not like you are like that! I just thought of it is all! You are more of the 'Ultimate Silent Individual' type of person!" She quickly said.

I just looked at her with a blank face expression. The words didn't bother me that much, but for some odd reason- she made a half-smile appear on my face

"Whatever you say Chelsea… Anymore?"

She smiled slightly. But then, her face fell again, but not due to sadness. This time, she looked embarrassed. And she displayed that when her face completely turned red.

"Oh uh… That was all!" She said as she picked up a napkin from the table and pretended to be interested in the cloth.

I raised an eyebrow at her sudden change of expression, and I couldn't help but smirk.

"Hmmm…. You're a bad liar you know that…?"

"I-I'm telling the truth! I don't have anymore!" She said, not looking at me, still looking at the cloth.

I quickly snatched the napkin from her hands and she tried to grab it back.

"I think you should tell me."

"I-I told you! I don't-"

"Here is your cake and ice cream Miss." The old woman interrupted.

The old woman put the plate and bowl in front of Chelsea. And of course, she quickly got busy eating her- meal… Most likely to avoid telling me the other meaning she had...

The old lady put my own order in front of me. I just sighed and ate my own unhealthy food. Chelsea suddenly dropped her spoon and pressed the side of her head with her hands.

"Oh! Brain freeze! Brain freeze!"

"That's your fault for eating too fast _and_ for not telling me the other meaning for my belt. So, you have been properly punished if you ask me." I said as I continued eating my slice of cake.

In reply, she smiled at me, though it looked more like a grin.

"So, you think I deserved that?"

I shrugged my shoulders in reply, not really paying any attention to her. In reply to my action, she purposely knocked down my bowl of ice cream onto the floor… All of the sweet, sweet vanilla ice cream wasted onto the floor, while the stupid bowl was spared from the whole action. I looked at my messed up ice cream on the floor.

"M-My ice cream…"

I'm sorry, but I like to have ice cream with my cake! It helps erase that dryness in my throat after eating cake- especially chocolate cake! I glared back at her.

"You wasted my ice cream."

She simply stuck her tongue out at me.

"You are going to get me another one." I told her simply.

"I don't think so." She replied, sticking her tongue out again.

She quickly got up from her seat and ran to the door. I just turned my head to look at her.

"If you can catch me first, I'll get you another." She said as she ran out of the Café.

I was about to get up from my seat to run after her, but the old lady interrupted my course of action.

"Payment please."

Why the sneaky little devil! She left me with the bill!

I grumbled under my breath as I went into my pockets for the gold.

"How much?"

"2055G."

I almost had the urge to just run out of the café and never come back… But, I gave her the last bit of my gold, to pay for the desserts… Even the one I didn't eat!

She took the money and then she retreated back to her counter. I fixed my hat and held that scowl on my face.

"She waits until I see her…"

I walked out of the café and looked around for her. I didn't have to look hard though, I saw her not to far from where I stood… She must have been waiting for me…

"Chelsea I'm going to kill you!" I yelled as I ran towards her.

I'm not literally going to kill her of course… Maybe…

She obviously heard me. And boy can she run when she wants to. I'm a pretty fast runner, but she was running like a wolf was on her trail… I'm not trying to make a pun here…!

She kept running and I just kept trying to catch her; she'll get tired sooner or later… Though I hope she'll get tired before I do…

We somehow ended up at the beach and she _still_ had energy to run.

"Would you stop running! You owe me money and ice cream damn it!"

She ignored me and kept running around the beach- while laughing… I just kept getting more annoyed while still trying to catch her.

She finally slowed down, and then she completely collapsed onto the sand- head and all touching the sand. Sure, she was at my mercy now, but I was tired as well… I guess she'll owe me once I regain my energy… So, unlike her, I sat on the sand beside her, where she collapsed. I looked down at her with a frown clearly on my face.

"You owe me."

She just giggled in reply.

"I'm sorry for leaving you with the bill. But, that was totally worth it to see you run like that… I didn't know you could run that fast in those boots…"

"You'll be surprised how fast I can run without them. Otherwise, I would have caught you a while ago."

"Hmm… I'll take your word for it…"

She leaned up, getting her head from the sand and I moved away from her slightly.

"I'll owe you back the money… Just let me sit here for a few minutes…" She said, looking out at the ocean.

I sighed, but I turned to look out into the water as well.

There was silence between us… But, I liked it that way… It wasn't the awkward kind of silence either…I felt- at peace…

"Chelsea… You don't have to owe me back… It is your birthday after all…" I told her.

She looked at me, I think in surprise.

"Oh? You have enough money to go back to the city?"

I felt my cheeks get hot a little.

"See? You don't have enough to go back. So, I have to repay you. Besides, it's not like it is a big deal." She told me.

I didn't feel like arguing, so I'll just let her go through with her plan. She smiled at my silence, knowing she won the argument, and she looked back out at the water.

I wanted to just sit there and have the relaxing atmosphere take over me… But, something bothered me…

"Chelsea… Why did you agree to hang out with me…?"

It really did bother me. She didn't have to agree with Denny to hang out with me… Wait… I'm getting a little mixed up here…

She looked at me once again and just said, "Because."

That's it? That answer is stupid.

"Because? What kind of answer is that?"

"The same type of answer you gave me when I asked why you are dressed like a cowboy."

"It's not the same thing."

She sighed.

"So, you want to know why?"

"I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want to know."

"Well then… It's because… I don't know."

"You don't know? That's not a real answer…"

"Okay, so then, why did you come to the island today and buy me a gift? You didn't have to."

I thought about what she said and touched the rim of my hat.

"Touché…" I said to her with a half- smile on my face.

I looked at her, and she was looking me with her head titled to the side a bit.

"Vaughn… Why do you do that?"

I felt my eyebrows arch downward a little, giving her a confused look.

"Do what?"

"Why do you always frown…? I hardly see you smile- except doing those half smiles once in a while… I've never seen you do a full smile before."

"Why does it matter so much?"

I then glared at her.

"You made a bet or something?"

"Uh…"

"So, you made a bet… With Julia or with- Denny? Only those two would go to certain lengths to annoy me."

"I didn't make a bet with anybody… I really am curious. It's just that it's- mysterious…"

"My so called half-smiles are enough… Besides, I don't see the point of it… It's not like there is anyone that would want to see it."

She said nothing for a moment. And she surprised me when she said, "I would like to see you smile…"

I couldn't help but be surprised…

"_So… She's just asking because she really wants to- see me smile…?_"

"Well I'll be damned Chelsea… Nobody really asked me to smile…"

I just sat there, looking at her, still surprised, and I felt my face was getting a little hot. Strange that I didn't bother to try to hide it this time… Her giggling woke me up from my- daze.

"Well, that's a good start."

I shook my head and looked away from her. She's turning me into an embarrassment… Why am I okay with that…?

"I'll- do it some other time…" I told her.

After that, we were quiet and we just enjoyed the scenery…

* * *

**Denny's POV**

I left Lanna's house, with her waving goodbye to me from her doorway and a happy smile on her face. I waved back at her, with a smile on my own face.

I owe her- spending time with her at least… For all of those times I hung out with Chelsea… I grinned at the thought as I continued to walk to the beach where my shack is.

"_Wonder how those two are doing?_"

I hoped Vaughn didn't make Chelsea mad, because I can't do him anymore favors for a while…

I finally reached the beach and I stood at the entrance as I caught sight of Vaughn and Chelsea. I saw Chelsea waving goodbye to Vaughn, and he simply waved his hand once, but didn't turn to look at her. I saw her shake her head and headed towards the exit of the beach, where I stood. She didn't know I was there until she stopped right in front of me.

"Oh! Hello Denny…! I'll- see you around."

"Same to you." I told her.

She walked passed me and headed somewhere. I silently approached where Vaughn sat- or stood now, he was beginning to stand up. I stopped beside him and I made sure that the smile on my face wasn't apparent.

"How's everything Vaughn?"

"The same." He quickly replied.

I looked at him with an eyebrow raised. He wasn't looking at me. He was looking out at the ocean with his head slightly down, the shadow of his hat covering his eyes.

"The same huh? So, you're telling me that you didn't enjoy your- date with Chelsea?"

He looked at me then, clearly annoyed with me. Though, it was hard for me to take him seriously, his face looked red. I held back the laughter I wanted to do.

"It wasn't like that! We were just- hanging out…"

"Vaughn, the words 'hanging out' is a term that people made up as a cover-up for the word 'date'. It's the same thing."

He grumbled under his breath, but then he suddenly grinned at me.

"Are you saying you had a date with Chelsea all of those times?"

I had a feeling that he was just trying to save his own embarrassment, but what he said caught me off guard.

"I-I… It's not like that." I told him, getting embarrassed myself.

It's not fair that he used my own logic against me. But, it's true that I didn't hang out with her due to having an interest in her- not in that form anyway…

He touched the brim of his hat and he kept the grin on his face… Most likely happy that he made me feel embarrassed myself.

"Okay, so I _won't_ ask…" I told him.

I looked away from him to look at the ocean again.

"So… She's not mad at you anymore?" I asked him

I remember her being mad at him. I think the reason was because of him not apologizing to Sabrina… I don't remember that far back…

"No she's not… I kind of told her a little while back that I- apologized to her…"

I nodded my head to his answer. I wanted to ask him how and when he did it (because I didn't see him do it), but then a horn sounded off- coming from the boat. He turned towards me fully and said, "See you around…" and then he walked towards the boat.

Strange… He usually doesn't say anything to me when he leaves to go back to the mainland… Not a wave or a goodbye… I couldn't help but smile just a little… Something is changing here…

"See ya!" I yelled before he got on the boat.

He just waved once, without facing me, before he climbed on the plank.

And I only have this to say… Vaughn is now, officially, my friend…. Hmm, maybe even my best friend…? Huh… Who would have thought…

* * *

**Mark's POV**

I was busy cleaning my house- or fixing it rather… I do fix or clean my house once in a while… I was wearing my dark blue pajamas, ready to go to sleep as soon as I finished my task…

But, I think the real reason of why I am keeping myself busy is because I am still a little angry about- earlier…

Chelsea told me that she forgives me for my actions, but she admits to not trusting me as much anymore… Well, I'm not really mad at that, she might warm up to me later... But, I think… No… I _am_ upset that she- hugged Vaughn… I just don't understand that at all… When I hugged her myself some time ago, she called me 'strange'… And yet…

I forced myself to not think about it, pushing the thoughts into the deep depths of my mind… Unfortunately for me, I finished with my task… So, most likely when I try to go to sleep tonight, I'll be tossing and turning… Having no choice but to think about everything…

I sighed to myself and sat on my bed, not ready to go to sleep just yet…

I put my hand behind my shirt and took out my pendant. I looked at it, closely, seeing the usual colors swirl together… Usually when I look at it, I would be reminded of the sky, the sea, or even the moon. All of which would make me relax and feel like everything is fine… But, now when I look at it, I am instantly reminded of Chelsea's blue eyes… And no matter how hard I try, I can't think of anything else when I look at it… This is why I hardly look at my pendant anymore, unless I am feeling really down… Though, I don't understand that logic. I feel a little depressed when I think about Chelsea. Thinking of all of the things that are not turning out good between us…

I gripped the pendant, so hard that I felt the material digging into my skin. If I grip it any harder, I would most likely bleed…

My thoughts were interrupted by a knock on my door. I sighed in relief a little, glad for the distraction. I quickly put the pendant back behind my shirt, hidden once again before I looked towards the door and said loudly, "Come in!"

The door opened, and the first thing I saw was the top purple hat.

"Oh! Pierre…! Well, this is a surprise..!"

It really was a surprise to see him, especially at this hour… The last time he was inside of my house was when he had to use my phone to call Gourmet himself about him taking some sort of cooking test or something…

He smiled at me lightly, but I could tell something was wrong… His eyes held disappointment and possibly anger. I looked at him with my eyes wide, afraid of the worse. I stood up from my bed.

"Pierre… Is it Natalie? Is she okay…?"

I stood there, holding my breath, but he finally shook his head. I sighed in relief.

"_But... If it's not about Natalie… Then why is he here?_"

"I came here to- ask you something…"

I sat back down on my bed, waiting for him to ask me whatever was on his mind.

"Mark… I want to know the truth okay?"

I furrowed my eyebrows, confused now.

"_Has my lie spread all over town or something! I don't want everyone thinking I am a liar!_"

I forced myself to not swallow that lump in my throat.

"Okay… Whatever you say Pierre…"

"I want to know… Did you really call Mr. Kaga for Chelsea?"

"Well… I called Mayor Avarice, and I asked him about selling Chelsea's cooking as a product. He was the one that called Mr. Kaga… I didn't think he would call a famous man."

And all at once, I saw Pierre's face darken. This may sound strange, but he looked angry with me, a face expression I have never, if ever, seen on his face. Sure, I have seen him pout when he's a little upset, but now… He looked just pissed off…

"_What did I do this time…?_"

"Mark…! How could you!"

"How could I what…?" I asked, I really was confused.

"How could you call someone about Chelsea's cooking skills, someone who just started working here, when you have known me for 2 years? Almost turning into 3! You know what my dream is! I have told you, countless times, where I always wanted to work and why! And yet, you basically backstabbed me in the back! No, it's more like you stabbed me in the front!"

"Now hold on Pierre! I didn't know the Mayor was going to call a famous man to sell her products! You can't blame me for that!"

I was getting loud and upset now. But can you really blame me? It's not my fault that the Mayor pulled such a stunt.

"It is your fault! You still knew the Mayor had connections! You are even admitting that he knows someone that could sell cooking products! And you know very well how I make money!"

That was true… I know how Pierre makes money… Well, technically, he isn't making money at all. The 'money' he has is coming from some sort of scholarship or something from the Gourmet Association. They are paying for his house and the ingredients he needs to cook. They might send him gold once in a while for him to order the stuff himself… Basically, he doesn't have a job… Though, as he told me, he has been trying to get a job working at some famous kitchen… And then, the true reason of why he was angry with me hit me…

"_Oh no…_"

"I-I just can't believe it Mark….! I have been trying for years to get a reply from the man himself! Not once did I get a phone call or a letter! Nothing! And then all of a sudden, he appears on 'Sunny Island'! And you know how I felt when I saw him, thinking he was there for me!"

I didn't need to hear it from him… I already knew what he was going to say- or yell rather…

"I felt so happy Mark! So- happy! I thought it he was there to finally accept me!"

He scowled, another thing I have never seen him do before…

"And then I find out he only came because he was asked too- by you!"

He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and he slowly breathe it back out. He opened his eyes once again, and he looked directly at me, full of despair… He made me feel like crap.

"You know what…? Why am I even here yelling at you…? It has already been done…"

He turned away from me, facing the door now.

"I never thought I would say this to you Mark… But, you know what you are…?"

I closed my own eyes, not even bothering to look at him. I tried to tune him out before he said anything, but my ears heard him…

"As Natalie would most likely say… You're an ass Mark. Your true colors have finally shown…"

I opened my eyes, ready to yell at him right back that I wasn't like that at all. After all of the work I was _forced_ to do to make this stupid abandoned island thrive, I'm called an 'ass' for doing that! Not only that, he wouldn't even be living here if it wasn't for me! How dare he accuse me of that!

But, he left quickly before I could utter a word to him, slamming the door behind him. I instead scowled at the door.

My anger was hard and very attached to me, making me want to get up, chase him down, and yell at him. However, my anger slowly faded away, making it be replaced with guilt.

I will admit that he was right about one thing… Why did I call the Mayor for Chelsea…? I could have done something else for her… But, why did I do that…?

I fell back on my bed, not even finding comfort in my comfy bed.

"_Harvest Goddess… What am I turning into…?_"

* * *

**Chelsea's POV**

I looked up at the ceiling from my position on the bed, and I sighed.

"I can't sleep…"

I already knew it was late and I should be asleep to get up early for work tomorrow, but I just can't sleep tonight…

I rolled out of bed and stretched a little.

"_Maybe I can't sleep because I didn't see the animals today?_"

I figured that could be it… Maybe if I go see them real quick I'll be able to go to sleep…

I grabbed my jacket and put it over my pajama top. I got my red boots and I put them on. I didn't feel like dressing up when I'm just going out for a quick walk…

I opened my door and closed it behind me, locking the door as well (my keys are always with me).

I walked along the path, looking up a little at the half full moon and the stars surrounding it. As usual, the sky was beautiful…

I finally reached the ranch. I looked towards Mark house, and his lights were off, he was most likely sleeping.

Without being noisy, I tip-toed towards the stable. Dash was asleep on the ground, its legs folded in, and it sounds like it was snoring…! I left the stable quietly to not startle Dash, and headed towards the barn.

The animals were all asleep as well, leaning against one another it looked like. I smiled at their sleeping forms, and I turned to leave, but one of them woke up... I guess that one was a light sleeper…

It looked at me with sleepy eyes, and then it walked over to me slowly. I giggled lightly, and patted its head.

"Hey there… You missed me?"

The cow mooed in reply, quite loud. Luckily the others were heavy sleepers.

"Yeah… I missed you too…"

I patted its head once again, and then I left.

Lastly, I went over to the chicken coop. And the chickens were fine… They were all asleep of course, most of them sitting close to their feeding bins. I shook my head and almost laughed out loud. I guess I would be starving for food in the morning as well, so I can't really blame them.

But, something didn't seem right… I looked at the chickens again, and I realized- that one was missing! I counted them, to be sure… But I wasn't mistaken… One was missing!

I looked around the whole chicken coop, thinking I missed one. But, I didn't see the chicken anywhere…

I left the chicken coop and looked around, thinking that maybe Mark took them outside, even though there is no fenced up area for them to be held at…. Meaning they could wander around…

I looked down, and I saw a trail of feathers that I didn't notice before. I looked at the trail with my eyes, and saw that they lead out of the ranch! Why didn't I see them before?

Without wasting any more time, I followed the trail out of the ranch. It took me a few moments to realize that the trail was leading to the forest!

I was hoping that a predator didn't get to it…

I continued to follow the trail of white feathers. So far, I didn't see the chicken- or blood on the feathers themselves…

The trail of feathers finally ended, and to my relief, I saw the chicken. I slowly approached the chicken, careful not to startle it. I'm sure the chicken is frightened enough.

Once I was close enough, I bend down on my knees and realized the chicken was having a hard time flapping its wings. I looked at the wing closely, and it looked broken… I can't be sure. I'm not an expert when it comes to animals injuries…

"Hey there… It's okay… I got you now…"

I picked up the chicken and pressed it lightly against my chest. I patted its head to calm it down more.

"Come on… Let's go home…"

I stood up and turned- and I gasped in horror, afraid now. Standing not that far from me, along with showing its sharp teeth, was a wolf…

"Oh Goddess…"

I didn't even bother thinking what a wolf was doing way out here, I was too busy looking around, trying to think of a way to escape… But, the wolf had me cornered. Behind me was nothing but trees very close together, impossible to run through them…

I heard the wolf growl at me. I faced it once again, and I saw saliva dripping from the side of its large jaws. I felt my heart pounding so hard against my chest.

"_Why me…!_"

Unfortunately the wolf wasn't patient anymore. It took one big dangerous step towards me. I was just wishing that I had my rucksack with me. I would have at least tried to fight it off with my fishing spear…

I felt my face get wet, I was obviously crying… Already dreading and seeing my life come to an end. The wolf bends down further, now ready to pounce and I took as many steps back as I could- now pressed very hard against the tree.

And the wolf pounced at me. I wanted to close my eyes, but I couldn't… I was scared stiff. But, just then, I saw something brown jump in front of me. It wasn't very big, but it was at least strong enough to push the wolf back.

Whatever it was, it stopped the pounce of the wolf midway.

The wolf tumbled backwards, rolling in the dirt. But, it quickly regained its normal posture. The wolf stood on its legs once again and growled at the new threat.

I looked at the little thing in front of me- it was a brown dog! But, the thing looked so small!

"_Better stop complaining! Either take the dogs help or ask it to scram!_" My conscience shouted.

The dog whole body was close to the ground, growling at the wolf back, its tail stiff behind it.

I pulled the chicken closer to my chest, positive that the chicken was more frightened then me… I could see its breathing hard in and out, taking quick and short breaths.

I shifted my eyes from the dog back to the wolf.

"_Oh please leave… Please leave…_"

I kept repeating the two words in my head.

I then realized that the wolf was slowly growling less, and that it wasn't in the 'ready-to-pounce-mode'. It stood on its legs, straight. It growled at the dog once more, and then it ran off- to some other part of the forest.

I sighed in relief, happy to survive another ordeal. But then, I felt afraid again… The dog… It might have saved me, but it could have only saved me to really eat the chicken…!

I looked down at the dog. I saw it slowly loosen its muscles, going into a more relaxed form. It turned towards me, silence between us. And then the dog opened its mouth with its tongue sticking out. I again sighed in relief, happy to know that the dog was friendly after all. I bent down a little and said, "Thank you boy… You saved my life little guy…"

As if it understood my words, it barked. I giggled just a little. I stood up straight again and walked pass the dog. While I was walking, I heard the small patter of feet. I looked behind me without stopping, and sure enough, the dog was following me.

"You don't have a home boy?"

The dog lowered its head and whimpered in reply. I smiled at the dog.

"Well, might as well come with me eh?"

To that, the dog barked happily. I looked ahead of me again, smiling just a little… And then I frowned…

"_Mark… I'm going to give you a piece of my mind!_"

I finally reached the ranch, going to the chicken coop to put the chicken down, and I quickly left.

"I'll have to fix her wing tomorrow…"

The dog was still following me…

I stopped and bend down to its level. I rubbed behind its ears.

"I guess I'll give you a name…"

Hmmm… I went through the alphabet in my head, trying to come up with a name for each letter… Trying to find one that would fit… Got it!

"How about I call you…. Keeper!"

In reply, the dog barked at me happily. I giggled a little.

"Keeper it is!"

I stood back up and stomped over to Mark's door.

Why am I mad at him? Because it is most likely his fault for not making sure all of the chickens was inside of the coop! He should not have let any of the animals outside, especially since he isn't good with animals himself!

I banged on his door with no restraint.

A minute later, the door was opened. There stood Mark in his pajamas and he was rubbing his eyes- wiping the sleepiness away most likely. He looked at me, still sleepy looking- but then his eyes widened in surprise.

"Ch-Chelsea? What are you doing here so late!"

Keeper barked at him, happily, while wagging his tail. Mark looked down at the puppy, confused on where it came from obviously. But, that could wait…

"Mark! Do you have any idea what almost happened to me!"

"Uh…" He said stupidly.

"Because of you being irresponsible, I was almost killed by a wolf!"

"What! Chelsea, I don't understand I… Are you hurt!"

He really did sound concern for my physical condition, but I wasn't letting him go that easily.

"I'm talking about the chicken Mark! I came by here just to look at the animals because I couldn't sleep, and one of the chickens was missing! I followed the feathery trail and I was almost killed by a wolf!"

"B-But Chelsea! That's impossible! I made sure all of the chickens were put back! You told me that there were 4 chickens in total! I counted them at least 6 times before I left the coop! I swear to you that I didn't leave any of them outside!" He said, looking at me, his eyes pleading to believe him.

I wanted to believe him, I really did… But, it's kind of hard to believe him when he lied to me once before, for no apparent reason. I didn't have to voice this opinion, he saw what I wanted to say in my eyes, and I saw his whole face fall…

"So… You're telling me that I did it deliberately Chelsea? You think I would hurt a helpless animal for- some sick reason?"

"Are _you_ telling me that someone else did it, Mark…?"

He said nothing to that. He instead looked down at the ground, or maybe at the dog. He closed his eyes and sighed. He looked back at me, his eyes still pleading to believe him.

"Chelsea… I wouldn't do something like that… I never would…"

He swallowed some lump or something before he continued.

"But… Maybe it just happened Chelsea… You haven't forgotten… Have you?"

I didn't know what he was talking about at first… And then the answer hit me…

"_The omen…_"

It was my turn to look down at the ground.

"_I'm beginning to hate coming to this island at all…_"

I felt something slide across my right cheek. I looked back up at Mark, and one of his hands was lifted- and quite close to the side of my face. He again looked at me, some unknown emotion swirling in his green eyes, an emotion I could not decipher.

"_I just don't understand him…_"

He put his hand back to his side and he suddenly looked down to the ground. He smiled lightly.

"So, where the little guy come from?"

He bent down to pet Keeper, who welcomed his touch. I sighed. I'll just have to figure out on my own if he really did leave the chicken out or not… I can't believe anything he tells me- not now anyway… I might forgive him completely over time…

"His name is Keeper… And he is the one that saved me from the wolf…" I told him.

He looked up at me from his kneeling position.

"Are you okay Chelsea?"

"I'm fine Mark. If I wasn't, I wouldn't be standing here."

He sighed and stood back up.

"I wish you would have told me that you were here… I would have made sure nothing happened to you Chelsea… Especially to you…"

I somehow believed him... I sighed once again.

"Where is Keeper going to stay? He can't really stay at my place…"

Mark smiled at me. He pointed towards the stable.

"You know that extra food bin that's in there? Well, he can stay there. I don't think another horse will be coming by anytime soon… And in the morning, you can feed him that pet food…"

He blinked his eyes in realization.

"Wow… Now I think I know why it is called pet food."

I shook my head at him, not believing that he could be silly at a time like this. Keeper barked happily again, wagging his tail behind him. I guess he knew he now had a home.

I took Keeper to the stable, silently urging him to be a little quiet to not possibly startle the horse. I opened the door and he ran in happily. He ran around the stable for a minute, before stopping to chase his tail around in a circle. He stopped doing that as well and finally eased down to sleep. I giggled to myself silently. I quietly closed the stable door and began to head out. I looked towards Mark's house on a whim, and he was still standing at his doorway- staring at me…

He suddenly looked embarrassed, his face turning red, and he waved at me.

"I'll see you tomorrow Chelsea…"

"Same to you Mark… Goodnight…"

He nodded his head and he retreated inside of his house, though he looked at me once more before he closed the door completely.

I sighed and continued on my walk home.

"_I was almost killed today… This is the second time I was almost killed… This time, it would have been a- painful experience…. Harvest Goddess… Help me…!_"

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_

* * *

**BONUS**

* * *

**Title:** _**The Traveling Merchant**_

**By:** kitty868theonly

**Rating:** K; Even a little kid could read this…

**Type of Story:** Harvest Moon: Island Of Happiness; Chelsea; **Oneshot (Chelsea's POV & Shea's)**; Humor.

**Quick Summary:** Chelsea just returned home and is about to retire to bed, even though she is afraid she'll have nightmares of a wolf or worse… But then, she hears a knock at her door- who could it be this late at night visiting her?

**Character's Presented (in Order of Appearance):** Chelsea, Won, Chen, & Shea.

**Started On & Completed Date:** November 07, 2009

**Total Pages:** 06

**WARNING:** This oneshot _**IS**_ related to the story above, or this chapter anyway. It's like an extension if you will… This one was created because I somewhat mentioned a certain person in the story... So, I thought it would be fun to add him! Anyway, this would be the _**FIRST**_ BONUS oneshot that is part of the story! Yay! I also made this a BONUS because I wanted to use a different title XD Enjoy! Oh, and anything that is in Shea's POV- is not part of the story... Sorry!

* * *

**Chelsea's POV**

I was about to retire to bed, despite the violent nightmares I might have… But then, I heard a knock on my door. I wasn't upset about it, it would be a good delay from my dreams tonight… Though, I do wonder who would be knocking on my door this late at night…

"_Is it Mark? It might be him…_"

I opened the door, and there stood some guy I didn't know or recognize. He wore a colorful hat mixed of the colors red, yellow, and green. A yellow long coat, Chinese oriented, including the black slipper-like shoes he wore and the black somewhat baggy pants he wore- though the kind that I've seen material artist wear… He had a long black ponytail that was braided and a little of his hair stuck out from under her hat. I already thought he looked suspicious, but he added on to it by wearing dark shades (wearing it _at night_) and he had a mustache that made him look some sort of fish… He also held a black suitcase…

I closed my door slightly, leaving it open a little, enough for me to see out of the gap I made with only my eyes.

"How can I help you?" I asked him.

He did this weird smile and he said, "Good evening Madam. I'm here for a reason."

"_It better be a good reason._"

"My name is Won_**(15)**_ and I am a traveling salesman! I was just passing through this island and I thought I drop by to sell my stuff! Would you like to look at some of my goods?"

I opened the door wider.

"What do you have?"

He smiled at my words and he opened the black suitcase he had. He held it out towards me, and all I saw inside were three apples.

I gave him a skeptical look before I said, "All I see in here are apples."

"Ah! But you see, these apples are different from one another and are special!"

I put my good arm on my waist.

"Yeah… What are they called then?"

He smiled up at me. He pointed to each apple as he said the names for each one.

"This one is the AEPFE… That one is the HMSGB. And the last one is the SUGDW!"

"Okay… What does each of them stand for?"

He took one big deep breath in.

"AEPFE stands for Angelic Eternal Pure Fresh Elegant! HMSGB stands for Hyper Miracle Sweet Gorgeous Beautiful! SUGDW stands for Super Ultra Great Delicious Wonderful!" He said quickly, sighing in relief after saying all of those words.

I didn't even remember the full name of the first one. I looked at the apples again. This guy _must_ think I am stupid or something. All of them looked like normal apples. I highly doubt any of them were special in any way.

"Okay… What do each of them do?"

"_Let's see him try to come up with an answer for that!_"

"Depending on which one you pick, each one has their own special purpose. The purpose of each one changes for each person. So, I'm afraid I don't know. I hear they are magical."

"_You're right… But, I'll play along._"

I picked up one of the apples and wondered how he knows the difference between each apple. They all look the same! Of course I'm being ripped off… This type of thing occurs in the city all of the time- especially when tourists come around… I then picked up another apple, pretending to look from one to the other. And then, I dropped both of them onto the floor. Won looked alarmed.

"I'm sorry… I can be clumsy sometimes… But, I really do want to buy the AEPFE apple… But, I forgot which one it is… Can you give me the right one?"

I saw the man look at the apples on the ground and I saw him hesitate. Not knowing which one was the AEPFE either I'm sure. He finally just picked one off of the ground and he handed it to me.

"This one is it!"

I shook my head.

"No it's not. It's the other one. I remember the small bump it had on the side. It looked a little fatter compared to the one you're holding in your hand."

He made some sort of noise and then he sighed in defeat.

"I'm sorry… Yes, I can't tell the difference between the apples… But, that doesn't mean they are not magical!"

"Look pal, I'm from the city. I'm not stupid. This is done all of the time by people just like you. So stop trying to rip me off."

He again sighed.

"I'm sorry twice then… So, just take an apple for free… They're all the same anyway…"

I gladly took one before he could change his mind. I then could hear yelling in the distance. Won looked in the direction where it was coming from. Without even seeing who was yelling, he closed his briefcase and he ran- towards the jungle…

The person that was yelling turned out to be Chen. He was running as well, but he stopped in front of my door. I could tell that he was angry. He may have his eyes in an eternally closed state (though how he can see that way is a mystery to me), but his eyebrows can tell you how he felt.

"He got away…"

He then turned towards me, surprised to see me up.

"Oh! I didn't realize you were up Chelsea…"

"Why were you chasing him anyway?"

"I was chasing him because he ripped off my son. My son got two of each 'special' apple. I only know that man is a con artist because I heard it from the tradesmen's guild I am in…. You didn't buy anything from him right?"

"No I didn't. I'm from the city after all. He gave me my apple for free because I saw right through his little charade."

Chen sighed.

"I wish my son did as well… Well, I can't chase him now… He ran off somewhere in the jungle… Heard it's a dangerous place at night…

* * *

**Shea's POV**

I up. I should sleep, but I not tired. I out of hut, just walking in trees. I hear a noise!

I climb into tree and look through the leaves. I see strange man. Man look- scared… Man easy target too. Man wear clothes that are- bright?

"Who you?"

Man look around- for I… Man can't see me… I jump out of tree behind him. Man turn to me, afraid, then he smiled.

"Oh… Hello young fellow… You scared me there for a second… I usually like to face my customers before I introduce myself…"

"Man not in jungle… Danger at night…"

"Uh… Are you saying I shouldn't be here because it is dangerous at night?"

I nod head.

"Well, I'll gladly leave, but I need someone to lead me out of here… Not to mention, I would like to sell you- magic apples."

"Magic apples…? What- magic?"

"Uh… I can't really explain it, but it's a good thing!"

Man open strange box and show me- food! Food always good! I try to take one- but Man close box hard… Almost hit hand…

"I can see you want one… But, do you have money?"

Money…? Oh…

"I no have money…"

"Hmmm…."

Man no give me food… I have idea!

"I test food then- money?"

"You want to test the product and then pay for it…?"

I nod head.

"Hmmm… I don't usually do this… But, I'll do it just this once…"

Man open box again and give me food. I take food and look at ground. I see Mark do many yesterdays, so I do too!

I pull dirt away from ground to make a- hole?

I put food in hole and cover it. Man gave me strange look.

"Uh… What are you doing?"

"Food grow! Friend Mark do!"

"Uh… Food doesn't grow that fast… But, it's yours, so you can do whatever you want with it… Now, I would like my payment for the product."

I still no money… Man frown at me.

"Payment please…!"

Before I do something, ground shake! Then, something- green (?) come from dirt, where food is! The green thing grow until it hit sky!

"Oooooh! Food grow!"

Man had mouth open.

"What the…! That really _was_ a magic apple?"

I about to climb on green thing, but Man push me.

"Out of the way! If this is a beanstalk, there must be treasure up there!"

I see Man climb green thing fast. I stay sit on dirt, watching Man. I soon no see Man anymore. I about to climb, but green thing gone- fast!

"Oh… I no see what in sky…"

I go home then… Maybe green thing there tomorrow.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S COMMENTS/NOTES**

* * *

Okay… LOOOONG chapter! Anyway, I have 'good' news! Well, good news to those of you that read this story... Anyway, do you know what month it is now! It's November! Why is that a good thing! Because of NaNoWriMo! For those of you that don't know what that stands for, it stands for, 'National Novel Writing Month'! Just by reading the full words itself, it should give you an idea of what it is. It is basically a 'contest' that anyone can enter- and they write a novel in one month! Well, maybe not the whole novel will be finished if it's really long (like this one), but it encourages one to write one! The goal that people 'have' to reach is 50k (50,000 words). And ALL 50k have to be written in one month- in this case- November! I entered the 'contest' about 2 years ago and reached my goal in the first year. The second year I entered, I didn't even make it… But, this year- I will make it! And yes, that includes fan-fiction! For those of you that might be interested (or you know someone that is), please feel free to enter! Of course, you don't really win anything- it's just a feeling of accomplishment… Thanks to this chapter alone- I already did about 20k words! And that isn't including the 'Author Comments' (this stuff doesn't count). I'm going to 'win' this year! This is good news because that means I will be releasing chapters as soon as I am done typing them… In other words, I will be releasing chapters as soon as I finish typing them (correcting any errors I see first of course)! I would usually release a chapter on a Friday or Saturday (Sunday the latest), even if I finished the chapter earlier in the week. That happened with one of the chapters once… So, this month, I decided to work on this story for this contest!

I have to say that I am somewhat- disappointed with this chapter… I don't know why… Well, I think it might be because the event going on between Vaughn and Chelsea wasn't supposed to happen so soon (it's seems to fast to me). In fact, the whole thing wasn't even planned to be in this chapter… But, Denny of course messed with my plans!

I also apologize for Vaughn's LONG POV, I didn't think he would have so much to say or do. I tried to end it a few times at certain points. But every time I thought of a 'perfect' place to end it, I couldn't figure out which character's POV should take his place… So, I left it alone with only him… Though, it's not completely a bad thing that Vaughn's POV was so long… Because in the next chapter- he will not have his own POV… I have my reasons why, you'll just have to find out… I will not mention the title of the next chapter- I'll keep it as a surprise…

Finally, Pierre's talk with Mark later wasn't originally part of the chapter either, but, I have to thank my sub-conscience again, as it thought of the idea at the last minute. But, that one wasn't that bad…

As for the BONUS, it would be the first BONUS that is part of the chapter for once! But, only part of the BONUS is part of the story (Chelsea's POV), while the other part isn't part of the story (Shea's POV). I thought of Shea's POV at the last second with the whole 'Jack and the Beanstalk' idea… XD Anyway, I'm afraid that will be the last time seeing Won in the story… He will no longer be mentioned- at least, I think so…

For those of you that were possibly wondering why I never mentioned the dog in the story- this was the reason… I already had this chapter planned out (WAAAY ahead of time as you can see), and I already knew that I wanted the dog to appear at that point. I originally wanted to name the dog 'Lucky', but, that name didn't seem to fit later… Chelsea is the one that is 'lucky', not the dog really… So, I named it Keeper instead. This can have different meanings- protect and so on. As far as I know, they all fit into the situation that happened...

The situation with the chicken, you can ask yourself/yourselves if Mark did forget the chicken outside (because he is forgetful), did he do it purposely- or is the omen really at fault here? I'm not going to answer this… That's for you to figure out…

As for the 'bad-like' ending there- that was basically a reminder to let you know that this story is 'horror' and such… And bad things (I love that word) will happen! Also, the title of the chapter should have clued it in a little- 'Sweet and Sour'- get it? Okay, I'm being lame now… Onto the number! There are many this time!

**(1) **_Beanie Babies_: Beanie Babies are basically stuffed toys (mostly animals) that have small- beads or something in them… This animal merchandise has been around for quite some time. I have a lot of them myself (though my mother has more than me), because I love those things! There are some Beanie Babies that are so rare that they can cost up to $10,000 (US money)! Possibly even more… I'm sure there is more information about this online…

**(2)**_...so it doesn't need to be sheered today_: The day the lamb became a sheep was on a Thursday, Spring 19th- Vaughn was on the island obviously… Since the sheep became an adult on that day, the day before Chelsea's birthday, then it was sheered yesterday… In the game, the wool grows back every 3 days. So, Mark doesn't need to sheer the sheep again- or he can't rather…

**(3)**_...my mother got for me before I came here_: Remember? Chapter 1? Back in chapter 1, Chelsea and her parents went shopping and they shopped for clothes and other things… I never mentioned what those other things were… So, in other words, if I need some random item in order for the story to move on- I could make up some BS and say she already had the item! XD I'm joking of course, I usually don't BS stuff, but if I need to… Don't be surprised- too much anyway… As far I know though, I'm not really going to BS this story… Even if I do at some point, it'll be good… If I can BS an essay and get an 'A+' on it, then I can do the same here.

**(4)**_...I couldn't put my finger on it…_: The character Vaughn was talking about was just introduced in the BONUS- it was Won of course… The name 'Qwon' was made up due to his name. And no, that wasn't Won disguised as someone else- that was his twin brother I made up XD In other words, he's just my OC. One I made up just for this chapter I believe… I don't think I'll mention him again… Vaughn only 'knows' him because he got his belt from Won… At least, in my story I am indicating that he got his belt from Won.

**(5)**_…specially made for a derby winner about 10 or so years ago_: This is real information about a real 'rare' Beanie Baby. The Beanie Baby Vaughn got for Chelsea is- real… As far as I could look up, the Beanie Baby cost about $30 (US money). It was a one-time deal thing. I saw the product on Amazon due to me searching for a real Beanie Baby that is a horse- because I can't remember any… Anyway, the derby horse has the number '8' on it and it is a 'Barbaro Kentucky Derby Winner'- a TY (Beanie Baby company name) toy.

**(6)** _Takeshi Kaga_: I originally used his real name, Shigekatsu Katsuda, but due to the rules on FF net, using a real person, I had to use his TV show/fake name (AKA Chairman Kaga). Where is he from? He is mostly recognized from the TV cooking show, 'Iron Chef'. I remember watching the original Japanese show before an American version was made when I was younger… I think the American one is okay- I just hate Bobby Flay… I'm sorry, but I hate that man guts, he just pisses me off… I remember when he first came to the Iron Chef show and he did things that made me even frown and groan in disgust… I still think he won that 'fight' (against the Japanese guy- can't remember his name though) just to be fair (since he lost before) and so that he would come back and battle again… I never liked him then, and I _still_ don't like him.

**(7)**_ ...(that restaurant does have a TV show)_: This is somewhat mentioned in number (6), above. The name of the TV show Pierre is referring to is 'Iron Chef'. Even though it's not really a restaurant on TV, I just used another idea to disguise the TV show…

**(8)** _...about a week ago- and according to him…_: Let's review… Mark called Mayor Avarice on a Wednesday, Spring 11th – about a week ago (9 days ago to be exact). The call was a mystery then, but now it's not… This was mentioned back in chapter 5, towards the end of the chapter… I tried leaving a little clue with what Mark phone call might be about, when he talked to Chelsea a little before, suddenly asking her about her liking to cook… I didn't want to point it out as a clue though. I didn't want it to be so obvious.

**(9)** _Gourmet_: I did not make up this name; he is not an OC of mine. He is a real character from the Harvest Moon game series. He is from the Harvest Moon games 'Friends of Mineral Town' (FoMT) and 'More Friends of Mineral Town' (MFoMT)- both Gameboy Advance (GBA) games. I'm sure these can be brought at some game store if you want them. Anyway, in both games, he is the gourmet (as his name indicates) in the game. As far as I can remember, he only appears when there is a cooking contest. After that, he is gone until the next cooking contest (next year). If you are playing the 'girl' version (MFoMT), and you want to marry him- he is difficult to marry as one can imagine since he only comes during that time (the cooking festival). I can't remember if he stays or not when one does marry him…

**(10)** _Mayor Avarice_: This man is the one that sent Mark the letter that is mentioned on the very first chapter! I never described him and he never made an appearance in the story… So, here he is… Exactly as his name indicates- greed… I think this will be the last time 'seeing' him in the story. After this point, he might not be 'seen' again…

**(11)** _...sell her cooking products around the world!_: In the game, IoH (and now SSIaF), you are allowed to ship cooking ingredients/dishes. I wanted this idea to be part of the story. But, come on, a person can't just make a dish and then ship it while it's on a plate! The food would spill and everything else! So, by making this chapter, Chelsea will be able to make more money due to her cooking products… And by me doing this will be somewhat significant in the story later…

**(12)** _ALLEZ CUISINE_: This would be the saying Chairman Kaga would shout at the start of every cooking battle on the show 'Iron Chef'. I thought this was Japanese for some reason (maybe due to his accent?), but this is really French! This literally translates to, 'go kitchen'… That is, according to Wikipedia that is… I don't know French I'm afraid… So I don't know if it's accurate or not… Feel free to correct me if it is wrong. Anyway, it would be a crime if he DIDN'T say those words! Since he was appearing in this story (chapter), might as well let him say those words! So, if you didn't recognize his name, hopefully the saying sparked the mind.

**(13)** _Cheery Chelsea_: For those of you that might be confused, notice that Vaughn, in my story, has a 'nickname' for almost every character. He calls Mark 'stupid rancher'/'that rancher'/'that damn rancher' and so on- he hardly calls him by his name… For Denny, he says 'fisherman' (maybe 'that fisherman'). For Julia, 'annoying cousin'. For Sabrina, 'weird girl'. As for Chelsea, 'cheery rancher'… So, it's not that much of a surprise that he would suggest that name for the product… He has called Chelsea that quite a few times in my story (throughout the chapters). I made sure of that in order for this to make sense. If you must know how many times he called Chelsea 'cheery rancher', he said it only 3 times (not including this chapter) in total... Wow, that doesn't sound like a lot, but remember, Vaughn doesn't talk much anyway! XD

**(14)** _Chelsea sitting at the Meadow_: The whole description of the picture that Sabrina made for Chelsea as a gift, is based off the real and official wallpaper for the game Harvest Moon: Sunshine Island and Friends (AKA Shining Sun and Friends/ Bokujou Monogatari: Kira Kira Taiyou to Nakama Tachi). This game, as far as I know, isn't coming out in America until November- this month and year! I think November 10th, but I'm not sure… Anyway, I tried to describe it as much as possible, but, sometimes the picture is better than words… Or, as the old saying goes, 'A picture means a thousand words'… In my case, I only used a little over 100 words… All well, it's good enough. I'm sure you can find the wallpaper if you really wanted it… There are other official wallpapers as well- including one where Chelsea is being dressed up for- her wedding, with the help of the other bachelorettes… Except for Suiren (named Lily for the English version). Though, it is unknown who she is getting married to based on the picture alone…

**(15)** _Won_: As somewhat mentioned in number (4), Won is the 'traveling merchant'- whom is Chinese… I don't think he's Japanese, based on the clothes he wears alone… Anyway, he is from the same games Gourmet came from- Harvest Moon: 'Friends of Mineral Town' (FoMT) and 'More Friends of Mineral Town' (MFoMT). He is also a marriageable candidate in the 'girl' version (MFoMT)… I didn't get the chance to marry him in my game… But, it's not like it'll make a big difference- he doesn't give you a discount on anything… What a horrible husband… But I like him anyway! XD And yes, the products he mentions, he really does sell them- and they are on the shipping bin list… Which is weird because the items are just regular apples (we all know this), and yet the people in the game are oblivious to it- even being on the shipping bin list… What a rip off…!

_**THANK YOU ALL FOR REVIEWING (And to those that read anonymously)!**_


	10. Chapter 9, What's Cooking?

**Chapter 9, What's Cooking?**

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**SPRING 24TH – TUESDAY**

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**Chelsea's POV**

I'm up early as usual, doing the same things. Getting ready to go to work and drinking my daily orange juice with the bitter medicine.

As I was busy drinking it, there is a knock at my door. I put my now empty cup into the sink and walk over to the door. I open it, and there stood Dr. Trent. He smiled at me, amazing me that he could be just as happy in the early morn.

"Morning Chelsea. I have some good news!"

"Please tell me it's about my bandaged arm, I can't take much more of this…!"

I really can't, it felt so weird not being able to use my other arm. There are times I forget it is wrapped and I would try to use it to lift objects with it… And then I would remember that I can't… It gets annoying after a while…

"Well then you'll like to hear that I am removing the bandages today! Also, I will assign exercises for that arm as well!"

"YAY!" I exclaimed punching my one good hand into the air.

Dr. Trent shook his head, but he smiled in reply.

"Glad to see that you are happy with the news. Now, may I come in?"

I opened the door fully and he walked in.

"Have a seat at the table. Just make yourself feel at home… Would you like anything?"

He shook his head as he sat down.

"No thank you. But, thanks for asking." He said in reply.

I sat down on the other seat, but sliding it closer to him. He took the sling off of my shoulder, by unsnapping it.

"Can you move your arm? You should be able to by now."

I moved my arm a little. It felt _very_ stiff and a little lighter then my other arm. It still felt painful, but not as much.

"Very good! Now, please put your arm on your table here, and then I'll take off the bandages."

I did as he asked and he began to remove the bandages, doing it slowly, making sure to not hurt me at all.

"Couldn't I have taken the bandages off myself?"

"Yes, you could. Though that's not why I need to take them off myself. I need to make sure your skin looks healthy, giving me an idea of the condition of your bones. After all, if you have done as I asked, you should be fine; by your skin being normal color. Though, your muscles would most likely be stiff and weak from lack of motion for so long… So, that would be the reason of why I need to give you simply exercises to do, before you move on to doing heavy work." He explained as the last bit of the bandage came off.

He closely looked at my arm, up and down it with his eyes.

"Hmmm… Well, it looks healthy and your skin is not discolored… And you can move your arm… This is good then, your arm has recovered enough, and you should be able to do exercises with it now…"

He bends down and opens his little black bag (I didn't see it before). He takes out something and puts it onto the table. It was a small dumbbell and a- weight clip.

"I want you to exercise with the weight clip first. That should help loosen your muscles a bit, your muscles need to first tense up a bit. And then you can use the dumbbells. Understand?"

I nodded my head in reply, picking up the spring clip with my uncovered arm. I tried squeezing the grip together as hard as I could, but I felt so weak… I could only grip it a little, not even the ends of the tool were touching.

"It'll be difficult at first, but you'll get use to it…" He said.

He stood back up with his little bag in his hand.

"I want you to exercise as much as you can. If you do it daily, you should be better by the 28th."

He headed towards the door and opened it. He faced me once more.

"If you have any extreme pain or have any questions, let me know."

He opened the door then he left, closing the door behind him gently. I continued gripping the tool as hard as I could, not giving up easily.

"_Well, I have all day to get better today… The cooking contest is today… I wonder if Pierre will let me enter…_"

The one who reminded me about the cooking contest today was Mark. He told me yesterday and wondering if I was going to enter…

"_I don't think Pierre would let me enter… I basically just got a deal with a famous company… And if I win, people might consider it as cheating…_"

I stood up from my seat with a sigh. I wanted to enter…

"_I'll go and maybe I can try to convince Pierre to let me enter… Or, maybe I don't need to convince him at all…_"

* * *

**Pierre's POV**

"I'll be back to see you later Natalie... Today is going to be a long day…" I told her.

She nodded her head in understanding.

"I know…"

She frowned and pouted.

"I wish I could enter this year! It's not fair that this injury is preventing me from participating!"

Natalie would usually enter the contest with a drink for the 'Soup/Drink' category. But, she obviously can't this year…

"I know Natalie… I would love to make your drink, but that would be considered cheating of course… I would obviously pick yours to be the winner… Maybe you can enter next year…"

She sighed in defeat.

"I know…"

"Until then, you have a whole year to come up with something creative! That's not so bad!" I said to her, trying to cheer her up.

I saw her roll her eyes, but she smiled anyway.

"You better get going. People will be lining up to enter the competition."

I nodded my head.

"I know… I'll be back." I told her, smiling at her.

She smiled back at me, just a little. I then decided to leave her 'room' to head towards the meadow where the competition will take place.

Everything was set up already, including the counter where I had to stand behind with the clipboard resting on top of it. I knew it wasn't 10 o'clock yet, otherwise there would be people already standing in a line, waiting for me to list them on a category of their choice.

I took my place behind the counter and waited. I was sure that it wouldn't be too long before it would be 10 o'clock.

Sure enough, after standing there for only about 5 minutes or less, people started walking across the bridge and some immediately stood before the counter. I got the clipboard ready and I pushed the button of the pen down.

"Name please?"

I already knew some of the competitors names, since many of them have entered the competition last year and the year before. Not only that, I knew this face well enough, even if I hardly see her…

"Sa-Sabrina…"

"Category of your choice?"

"Sa-salad please…" She said in her meek voice.

I nodded my head and added her name to the list.

"You have until 12PM to bring back your dish for the category. 1PM being the latest. If you don't return by then, you will be disqualified, no exceptions to this rule. The category you entered will be the first to be judged. Any questions?"

She shook her head.

"Good. I'll see you later, good luck!"

She nodded and then she ran off. Next person up was another familiar face.

"Name please?"

"I don't see the point giving you my name when you know it already."

I smiled at Denny.

"Yes I know. But, I'm just doing the normal procedure is all…"

He sighed, but shrugged his shoulders and gave me his name.

"Category of your choice?"

He stood there, thinking it looked like…

"Hmmm… I'll try appetizer."

"Let me guess, your dish this year will be fish? Which is it, sashimi or fish sticks?"

He winked at me and said, "That's a surprise. It wouldn't be any fun if I told you."

"Always the same every year, I don't see why not…"

"Well, fish is 'all' I know how to cook… But, it's still fun to make and eat none-the-less!" He said with a smile on his face.

"_Yeah fun for you to eat it all of the time, but I get kind of sick eating it all of the time…_"

I sighed instead of voicing my thoughts.

"You have until 12PM to bring back your dish for the category. 1PM being the latest. If you don't return by then, you will be disqualified, no exceptions to this rule. The category you entered will be the second one to be judged. Any questions?"

He shook his head, said, "Thanks." And left.

Next up was Lanna, who also entered the appetizer category as well. After her, Julia was up and her mother joined as well- both entering the appetizer category… Famous category this year… After them were two other villagers, Hazel (my rabid fan girl) and Tonya, both entering the salad category. Then Regis and Felicia entered, both entering the soup and drink category. Other villagers entered as well, participating in different categories.

After adding on yet another name to the clipboard, I was about to leave and come back later, thinking no others would participate. But then, when I looked towards the bridge, I saw two familiar faces- Mark (who I don't want to see right now) and Chelsea.

I will admit that I am quite envious of Chelsea's luck for being chosen to sell her food. I am reluctant to talk to her because I am afraid that I would show my jealousy through my voice…

"_Please tell me she is not considering on entering…_"

Of course, I had to be wrong… Chelsea continued to walk forward towards the counter while Mark stood by the entrance. She finally stopped in front of me.

"Hey Pierre…"

"Hello Chelsea… You're planning to enter?"

She twirled her fingers, making me realize that her injured arm wasn't in a sling anymore.

"I see your arm is not in a sling anymore."

"Yeah… Dr. Trent came by today and took off the bandages… He told me that I need to exercise it and things of that sort…"

"Good for you. Glad to hear you're okay…"

"Thank you… I'm sure Natalie will get better too… Just give her a little time."

I said nothing to that. She sighed.

"Pierre… I came by to ask you if I can participate in the contest… I know it might seem unfair that I enter because it is already pretty much known that I am a- good cook…"

I knew she was being a little modest with calling herself a 'good cook'… I thought otherwise, especially if someone like Mr. Katsuda thought she was good enough to sell her cooking dishes with his company…

"But, it would be good competition… Right? We-Well, maybe not… But, I really want to participate…" She finally admitted.

I sighed.

"Chelsea, if you want to participate, you can. There are no rules stating that you can't enter. If that was the case, then winners from the past contests would not participate because it wouldn't be fair to the new participates. By making everyone participate, including those that won in the past, makes it more interesting and encourages everyone to do their best. That's just how it works." I told her.

"Oh… That's great! But then, how come you don't enter?"

Well, she caught me there. I couldn't help but chuckle.

"Well, someone needs to taste and judge the dishes."

She folded her arms in reply, an eyebrow rising on her face.

"Uh-huh… Basically you would automatically win."

I couldn't help but smile at that.

"Yeah… That too."

She shook her head.

"Okay Chelsea… Which category would you like to enter?"

"What are the categories?"

"There are 5 categories. Salad, soup and drink, appetizer, main, and dessert."

"Hmm… I like to make desserts… But, I'll do something else instead… I'll take a shot in the soup and drink category." She said.

I added her name to the list.

"Very good! You have until 12PM to bring back your dish for the category. 1PM being the latest. If you don't return by then, you will be disqualified, no exceptions to this rule. The category you entered will be the third to be judged. Any questions?"

She shook her head and smiled at me.

"Wish me luck!"

"I don't think I need to." I said to her.

Hopefully she won't take that comment the wrong way, thinking that she'll be an automatic winner… I have to be fair…

She happily skipped back to the bridge, where Mark was still standing. I saw him look at me once, and then looked back down at the ground. I just twirled my fingers, feeling slightly guilty for yelling at him a few days ago… I could have talked to him in a more civil manner, but I think my temper got to me first… Maybe I should apologize to him…

"_I'll try to talk to him later… Not now…_"

* * *

**Chelsea's POV**

I stopped skipping in front of Mark.

"So, are you going to enter?"

He shook his head at me in reply.

"Nah… I don't think I'm good enough to participate… Anyway, I have to worry about the crop festival on the 29th. That's more than enough competition for me." He said.

"Oh yeah… Well, good luck with that then!"

He smiled slightly and said, "Thanks Chelsea."

He said nothing for a moment, and then he asked me, "Which category are you entering?"

"I've decided to enter the soup and drink one… I might make a soup…" I told him.

He looked at me surprised, but he nodded his head and said, "Good luck! But, not like you'll need it."

I just nodded my head in reply. Not wanting to waste anymore time, I told him I'll see him later and I crossed the bridge. I only had about an hour and a half to make something… Luckily my house is close by…

As I crossed the bridge, I almost bumped into Sabrina.

"Hey Sabrina." I said to her with a smile.

She looked at me and smiled back at me slightly.

"M-Morning Chelsea… Are you participating too?"

I then noticed the bowl she was carrying. It looked like some sort of salad dish.

"Yeah I am… I can see you're entering too. A salad dish huh?"

She looked away from me slightly, her face faintly turning red.

"Ye-Yeah… I like to cook on occasion… My dad makes excellent soup… I was able to convince him to enter…"

"Well, I guess I have to watch out, I'm entering that category as well." I told her.

"Really? Well, good luck to you."

"Same to you."

She looked at me, long and hard, then her eyes widened.

"Your arm…"

"Yeah. It's getting better." I told her, shaking my arm to demonstrate that it was okay.

She nodded her head, then I saw her look down at her dish, and then she frowned a bit. She turned away from me and headed towards her house it looked like… I guess she thought she should make her dish better…

"_Well, better get going…!_"

I quickly ran to the door of my house, unlocked it, and entered. I walked up to the fridge and opened it.

"What should I make…?" I said out loud.

I looked at the ingredients I had in my fridge. Some of the things in the fridge were beginning to lose their freshness… I have to use them somehow…

"I know! I'll make miso soup!"

I grabbed some cabbage, potatoes, an onion, a shiitake, and a little seaweed. I looked at the large fish I had in the fridge, but decided not to add it to the soup.

I took all of the ingredients to the kitchen counter. I clapped my hands together and rubbed them (still relishing the feeling of using both of my hands now).

"Well, let me begin!"

* * *

"Almost done…!"

The miso soup inside of the large pot I used looked done, but I wanted to make sure that it was... So, I let it cook for a few more minutes. I looked at the clock on the wall. I only had a few more minutes before 12…

The soup smelled _really_ good. I was tempting to eat a bowl of it myself. But, I knew if I did, I would feel sleepy and be too lazy to move once I sit down… Finally, I thought the soup was cooked enough.

I grabbed a clean bowl out of the cupboard and I grabbed the silver soup ladle Pierre gave me as a birthday gift off of the counter. I put the bowl on the counter and I stirred the contents again, using both of my hands. After about a minute of stirring, I scooped up some of it and put it into the bowl- making sure to capture all of the ingredients I used for my soup. I kept doing it until the bowl was filled up.

I turned off the stove and I grabbed a spoon from inside of the drawer. Putting the spoon into the bowl, I touched the bowl, but quickly withdrew my hands.

"Ouch! Hot..!"

I tried again and the bowl didn't feel too hot. I picked up my creation and smelled the aroma that emitted from it. I felt like gulping down the whole thing, even if the contents burn my tongue… But, I resisted the urge to eat it… Maybe I'll have time to come back and eat a quick snack…

I left my house, locking the door behind me (difficult to do with a hot bowl in my hand), and walked across the bridge to reach the meadow. As expected, Pierre was there behind the counter. Behind him, was a small tent that was set up… I guess to hold everyone's entries…

I stopped in front of Pierre and he beamed at me.

"Right on time!" He told me.

He wrote something in his clipboard and he waved his hand behind him.

"Please put your dish in the tent behind me. Put it on the appropriate table. The tables are labeled, so you shouldn't have a difficult time finding it."

I nodded my head and walked behind the counter. I entered the tent, and inside were tables for each category- as Pierre said. As I walked along the tables, while finding the one for my category, I couldn't help but look at the other entries. There were a few salad dishes, some appetizer dishes- including popcorn (I almost ate the snack- it smelled so good!), a few main course meals- one was a whole pizza, and other dishes I saw.

The smell inside of the tent was very addictive! Even though the aromas are mixed with different types of food, it felt pleasant… I could tell the difference between the smells and almost identify which dish it came from, while the other smells that I couldn't identify- I just enjoyed it.

I finally found the table for my category and I put the dish on the table. I decided not to look at the other entries; it would ruin the fun (surprise) if I looked at them now. I turned away from the table and left the tent.

As soon as I left the tent, I saw Julia approaching the tent, with her own entry in her hand. She smiled at me.

"Hey Chelsea!"

"Morning Julia!"

She giggled and then she noticed my unwrapped arm.

"Chelsea! Your arm isn't wrapped up anymore!"

"Yep! Dr. Trent took it off earlier today! I'm glad too... I was about to go crazy with the thing… I was beginning to feel like a mummy!"

She laughed of course.

"Well that's a good thing then!"

She looked behind me, and realized where I just came from.

"Oh… You're entering too…? Which category?"

"Soups/Drinks."

She sighed in relief.

"Well that's _really_ good! I wouldn't have to worry about competition against you then! Not like it'll be fair that you'll win."

I couldn't help but laugh at her.

"Don't be so sure, I saw some really good dishes in there. Pierre might not pick me as the winner… It wouldn't be fair against the other competitors if he did. It might look like he is cheating or something…"

"Pfft! Cheating or not, you're most likely going to win in that category!"

"Well… If you say so…"

"I _know_ so!" She said.

She then walked pass me to enter the tent as well.

I continued my walk and waited in the meadow. I saw others bring in their dishes as well. I saw Sabrina, Regis (her father), Denny, Lanna, Felicia, and others that I know and do not know. I saw Pierre tell them all to put their entries in the tent with the others.

Julia finally came out of the tent and ran right up to me. And she had that slick smile on her face… Oh boy…

"So Chelsea… I didn't get the chance to ask you but… Remember your birthday party?"

"Uh… Yeah… What about it?"

Her smile widened.

"Well, I saw Denny push Vaughn… And he kind of bumped into you… I didn't get to see what Denny said, but I remember seeing you and Vaughn leave the house… What were you two up to?"

"I asked Denny if he wanted to hang out with me, but he said he was busy. So, he suggested that Vaughn hang out with me instead." I said with a shrug.

I didn't see what the big deal was- or why she wanted to know… Her smile widened even more so- if that is even possible…

"And he agreed to do so?"

"Uh… Yeah… Why are you asking?"

She giggled and shook her head.

"Oh Chelsea, you are so naïve."

"Somehow, I don't want to know what you are thinking…"

She looked around, looking for someone obviously.

"Ah! There he is!"

I looked in the same direction as her, but I only saw Denny and Lanna there, not Elliot… The person I thought she would be looking for…

"Julia… I only see Denny and Lanna standing there, I don't see Elliot…"

"I know! I have to go give Denny a hug." She said with that smile still on her face.

"Give him a hug? Why?"

"Oh, for doing what he did."

Doing what he did? What is she talking about? I decided not to ask… I didn't think it was wise to go 'hug' him either... Lanna will most likely get upset…

She walked away from me, leaving me alone… And, as she said that she would do, she hugged Denny. Denny was obviously caught off guard; I could see him sputtering words at her, most likely confused with the whole embrace. I could also see Lanna face get red and she put her hands on her hips to emphasize how angry she was. She started yelling at Denny and it looked like Denny was trying to tell her that the whole thing wasn't his fault. I shook my head and finally looked away from the whole scene. I didn't want to put myself in the whole thing.

I looked around and realized how many participates there were this year. I saw a few people give me glares, people I didn't know… Obviously, they thought it wasn't fair that I was allowed to enter… I sighed…

"_Maybe I shouldn't have entered…_"

Too late to turn back now though… If I win, then I win. Nothing can be done about that.

I looked around some more, trying to look for familiar faces. I didn't see Mark anywhere, but that would be most likely due to him not wanting to enter… Though, I was surprised that he wouldn't show up to at least watch… I saw Sabrina, she was standing by her father.

I walked to where she stood and greeted her. I noticed that she was looking at the scene going on that Julia caused.

"What's going on over there?" She asked, looking at me.

"Eh, Julia started it all… She went over there to 'hug' Denny."

She looked confused with that, just like me with Julia's actions.

"Why would she do that?"

I shrugged my shoulders.

"I don't know. She did that after I told her that Denny suggested that Vaughn hang out with me on my birthday…"

She looked at me in surprise.

"Vaughn… Hung out with you?"

"Yeah… Denny suggested it, and he just—did it, even though he didn't have to…"

"That seems- odd of him… That explains why he left with you…" She said, saying the last sentence lower, almost impossible to hear.

"Odd of him?"

Truthfully, I still don't see what the big deal is with him hanging out with me… Though, maybe it is a little odd, because he doesn't usually 'hang out' with anybody… At least, I haven't seen him do that…

She shook her head, as if shaking a thought out of her head.

"Ne-Never mind what I said… You think you'll win?"

I shrugged my shoulders. Maybe I am being modest, but, I didn't want to get my hopes up too high.

"I don't know. My soup might win."

At that, her father looked at me and he laughed- not loud, but loud enough.

"So, you're one of my competitors? Well, this will be a little interesting! I think I'll beat you easily. Even if you have been labeled as a good cook based on your performance on your day, I will win…. Which I still think the whole thing was rigged…"

"Fa-Father…!" Sabrina exclaimed at her father's rudeness- the loudest I have ever seen her.

I just smirked at him, ignoring his rudeness.

"Don't be so sure Mr. Regis. The tables may turn."

"Hmmm… Yes. Maybe your dish will spill and you'll be disqualified."

Wow… He must really want to win… I then looked behind him, and I saw Dr. Trent looking around- he looked a little upset… I'll go talk to him.

Leaving the two without saying goodbye to them, and slightly hearing Sabrina scolding (she does that?) her dad; I walked to where Dr. Trent was. He looked a little surprised to see me, even though it should be me that is surprised seeing him there.

"Hello Dr. Trent. Here to see what's good to eat here?"

He frowned slightly.

"Not really. I came here to see what unhealthy dishes people have cooked …"

I saw his eye twitch.

"Tell me… Since you entered the competition and all… Did you see any- french fry dishes back there?" He asked me.

I went through my memory, trying to remember if I saw a french fry dish or not…

"Oh yeah… Well, I think I saw one in the tent…"

I looked at his face, and he looked annoyed and slightly angry… I've never seen a doctor get mad before.

"Well, I'm going to make sure I give that person a lecture on how french fries are bad for your health!"

Well, that's one way to get on a doctor's bad side... Eat something unhealthy… I saw him look at me, the anger still there on his face, though it looked like he tried to calm down a bit.

"So, what did you make?"

"Uh… Miso soup…" I told him, hoping he won't get angry with me.

"Well then… That's not bad. It has plenty of vegetables in it at least- being used in a _good_ way. Though, I think you should have made herb soup instead. It gives you all of the energy and antioxidants that you need. Antioxidants are-"

I couldn't help but tune him out. He got all- science on me… Not that I don't mind science or even a lecture to learn something new, but he was just going a _little_ overboard. I wanted to sneak off, but he was looking at me, making me kind of freeze in my spot…

But, just then, Mark appeared beside him. He looked at me with a smile and interrupted Dr. Trent's lecture- where he stopped talking- something about heart disease…

"Mark….! I thought you said you weren't going to participate… Or are you here to watch?"

"Well, I'm here as an participate… I changed my mind once I got home… I'm entering the appetizer category." He said to me.

"Oh! That's great! What's your dish?"

"French fries."

Uh-oh… He shouldn't have said that… Dr. Trent was just talking about that...

As I expected, Dr. Trent turned towards Mark.

"You made that dish Mark! I'm surprised with you! I'll have you know that french fries are not good for your health! The potatoes loses it-"

I took that chance to sneak off. Mark face held surprise and he looked a little annoyed.

I decided it was best for me to stand alone and just wait. But, I didn't have to wait for long… I saw Pierre put his hands over his mouth, to carry his voice over the crowd.

"Attention everyone! The competition will begin momentarily! Those of you that entered the salad category, please go get your dish and put it on this table. Judging will begin soon!"

The table Pierre was referring to was long and could hold up to at least 10 dishes, possibly more. The table was covered with a long white table cloth, making it stick out and impossible to miss.

I saw some people walk right pass me, including Sabrina, approaching the tent to get their dish most likely. After a few minutes went by, everyone had their dish on the table (the table was filled too), waiting for Pierre to judge their dish. I silently hoped Sabrina would win, she looked like she needed some encouragement or something- she seemed to always look down…

Pierre spoke loud again.

"I now officially begin the contest! Any late comers have all been disqualified! No exceptions! Now, first category to be judged is salad!"

He stood in front of some person salad dish. He took out a fork from some unknown pocket and he took a bite out of the guys' dish. He made a comment about it, a few good things about it, but mostly bad. He continued the cycle, and I just tuned him out… That is, until he reached Sabrina's dish… As for Sabrina, she didn't look good. She looked nervous- I mean _really_ nervous. I couldn't tell, but she could be sweating…

Pierre took a bite out of her dish, and he smiled.

"This dish… Even though it is an herb salad, I have to say that it one of the best herb salads I have ever tasted! I can taste each and every flavor of the wild grasses that you used in this dish. Just taking one bite out of this makes me burst with energy! Good job!" He said to her.

I saw Sabrina sigh in relief and she smiled just a little. Pierre moved on to the last person, someone I didn't know, so, I kind of don't care…

Pierre finally finished all of the entries and he stood on the side, writing on that clipboard he had earlier… After only a few minutes went by, he asked all of the contestants (for the salad category) to turn away from the table and face the crowd. They did as they were asked and waited for the results…

"Well, I have to say that this year for the salad category, it was a little difficult to come up with a winner! But, I have finally decided!"

He looked down at his clipboard once again before he looked back up at everyone.

"3rd place goes to— Hazel!"

A few claps went all around, and said girl jumped up in glee and she ran towards Pierre- and hugged him… If Natalie was here, if she was better, she would have most likely clobbered that girl- and pretty far too… I laughed at the funny image in my head. She finally let go of him and happily walked back to her place.

"Uh-um… Yes, congratulations..! Anyway, 2nd place goes to— Aiylee!"

That girl bowed down, slightly, and smiled at everyone. Claps went all around again… It was finally time to hear who got first place… I again looked at Sabrina, and she looked like a nervous wreck. She was fidgeting with her pink sweater, constantly pulling it down, most likely stretching the material.

"And 1st place goes to— Sabrina!"

Sabrina sighed in relief and she smiled. I, and others, clapped for her. And I thought I heard her father say, "Not surprising really. Of course she would win."

Pierre turned towards the participates.

"Thank you all for participating! Winners will earn their reward at the end of the festival! Those of you that didn't win this year, please work hard to win next year!"

All of the contestants took their bowls and moved away from the table. I saw some of them leave, most likely those that lost, while others stayed.

"Next up is the appetizer category! Those of you that entered, please retrieve your dish and bring it back to this table!"

Once again, the table was lined up with dishes. The people I recognized were Denny, Lanna, Julia, Mark, and Mirabelle.

Denny's dish, as expected, was a fish dish- sashimi. I honestly don't see why he would enter, his dish would most likely not win… Though, it would be funny to see him win…

Mark's dish, as he said, was a plate with french fries on it. Wonder how Dr. Trent would react if he won in this category with that dish…? He'll most likely give Pierre a longer lecture…

Lanna's dish, as I didn't expect, was what looked like baked yam. Looked good too… My stomach growled a bit. Luckily nobody heard it… I knew I should have eaten something before I came here!

Julia's dish was some sort of bread- steamed bread? But, it didn't look right… The bread is supposed to be fluffy-like and not look a little black… She's not going to win, I know that… I'll make sure to cheer her up when she doesn't win… I know I shouldn't say such things about her- dish… But it really didn't look good, and I'm just being honest… If she knew I was thinking like this, she'll most likely kill me and never talk to me again.

Mirabelle's dish looked delicious! I recognized it as some sort of croquette dish…. Goodness… I would like a bite out of that! My stomach growled again, most likely agreeing with me…

There were two other contestants, but I didn't know them… And their food entry didn't look that great… But, sometimes looks are deceiving…

Like before, Pierre stood in front of each contestant taking one bite (maybe two) of each dish while commenting about it. I ignored his comments, until he got to Julia that is…

When he took one bite out of her dish (and he looked reluctant to even touch her dish), he immediately looked like he was going to faint or get sick- possibly both…

"Uh… Well… I can see that you _tried_ at least… But, this dish tastes very- bad…" He said, being straight-forward.

Julia didn't look very happy with that, and she started to argue with him. Pierre took the blow, and Julia only stopped arguing when her mother gave her a warning glance. She pouted and sulked, but said nothing else. I couldn't help but laugh at the whole thing; she never gives up- especially when it concerns her cooking…

Pierre continued his tasting and telling routine, until it was finally time to announce the winners.

"3rd place goes to— Mark!"

Well, that one caught me by surprise; Mark looked surprised as well. I couldn't help but look at Dr. Trent's face, and he looked a little annoyed that his entry won. He's definitely going to lecture Pierre about that later…

"2nd place goes to— Lanna!"

I saw her jump up and down in glee while clapping her hands. Denny beamed a smile at her, just as glad for her.

"And 1st place goes to— Mirabelle!"

That one wasn't surprising, I expected her to win- though it _would_ have been funny if Denny won…

Pierre again instructed them to take their dishes away and the winners will earn their winnings at the end of the festival.

I saw Lanna and Denny take their dishes away and they started talking about something- most likely about fish and him commenting her… She looked angry with him still though…

As for Julia and Mirabelle, as I expected, Julia looked a little upset that she didn't win. Her mother was cheering her up though, like a mother would do… I'll go cheer her up in a moment and congratulate her mother as well…

As for Mark, he left the meadow with his dish… I don't know why or where he was going, but he left… Maybe he didn't want his reward? Though, I also noticed he looked down about something…

Now that I think about it, Mark hasn't really been himself lately… He has been a little less- cheerful then usual… I may not trust him as much, but I really hope he's okay…

I quickly approached Julia and Mirabelle and congratulated her mother.

"Don't feel bad Julia… You'll probably win next year… Besides, Pierre just doesn't know how to- react to your wonderful cooking…" I said to her.

I'm lying to her of course, but, I wouldn't be mean enough and tell her the truth. However, she saw right through me. She glared at me and said, "Stop lying, the both of you. I know I'm a bad cook… But, I really am trying…"

"Uh… Okay, you're a bad cook…"

She pouted at that. She wasn't expecting me to agree with her.

"But, look at the bright side! That would mean that- uh- Elliot would have to cook for you all of the time! Not many men like cooking for women! But, he seems determined to!" I said to her.

At that, as I expected, she smiled.

"Yeah… You're right…"

I saw her eyes go all twinkly with the smile still on her face. Mirabelle slightly thanked me.

"Next up is the soup and drink category! Those of you that entered, please retrieve your dish and bring it back to this table!"

I ran to the tent, beating anybody else to the tent, and I found my bowl of soup. Even though it wasn't as hot now, but it still felt warm. I again had a strong urge to eat it. Of course, I again held back, though it was getting really hard too…

I exited out of the tent and put my bowl on the table, others followed. Of course, by 'good luck', Mr. Regis put his own bowl of soup right next to mine. He looked down at my bowl, not even a hint of amusement on his face. He kept his face blank and professional.

"Hmmm… Good luck…" He said to me, though his tone was flat.

"Same to you." I said to him, being sincere.

He turned away from me and looked ahead, now waiting to be judged. I did the same.

Not too long after, Pierre was finally ready to judge the soups and drinks. Felicia was the first one up. Hers was a drink. It was a light color that looked orange and yellow- a fruit drink maybe?

Pierre used a spoon anyway to try it (to not contaminate her cup?). As I expected, he praised her drink and rarely said anything was wrong with it. Next to her was that old lady that owned the Café (Madelynn?), she had a soup entry, luckily not the same type as mine… It looked like some sort of tomato soup… Pierre also gave her good comments about her dish, he said nothing negative about it… Next to her was Regis… I have been trying to guess what kind of soup it was, but I couldn't tell… I guessed it had to either to be spaghetti or pumpkin… Pierre had a spoonful of it and he smiled in reaction.

"As you always seem to do Mr. Regis, your soup tastes marvelous! I can't tell what you add to it that gives it that 'oomph', but whatever it is, it works! It's not too salty and the little cheese you added to it gives it this- cheesy taste! Very good!"

I looked down at my own soup, wondering now if I really had a chance against him. Going by Pierre's comment alone, it sounds like Mr. Regis has won in the past… Wonder if I'll win this year…

I looked at the ingredients in my bowl, and I again wanted to eat a spoonful…

"_One spoonful might not hurt… No! I'll wait… Just a little longer…!_"

Pierre finally stopped in front of my own entry. He looked at my soup and he twirled his spoon in one hand.

"Miso soup huh? Good choice…" He said in a low voice that only I could hear him (possibly Mr. Regis heard him as well).

He put his spoon (not using mine) into my soup and he took it back out, a piece of potato on the spoon with other chopped up vegetable littering the spoon, along with the liquid itself. He opened his mouth and put the spoon inside it. I saw him chew the food, thoroughly and slowly… And then, his eyes widened and he smiled at me.

"Well, this certainly tastes different! My tongue feels all tingly! Anyway, I have the say that the fish you added to this dish makes it taste a little fishy and-"

"_Fish! I didn't add any fish in my soup!_"

* * *

**Dr. Trent's POV**

I was watching Pierre taste Chelsea's soup and I saw him beam and commenting her dish… However, a few seconds later (maybe even less so) he was acting oddly… Me being the doctor that I am, I can't help but be observant… That first thing I noticed was that his eyes looked a little 'bugged out' (lamest terms) and his pupils seem to dilate… The second thing I noticed was that he looked like he had a difficult time breathing… His chest wasn't moving at a normal rate…

"_Something's not right here…_"

And, here's the thing, I recognize those symptoms… Is he having an asthma attack? No, not likely… It's something else…

I saw him take one step sideways, and I realized that he staggered a bit… As if he was dizzy… And then, the answer hit me! I immediately ran forward, telling people to move out of my way.

About time I got to him, he collapsed onto the ground…

* * *

**Natalie's POV**

I looked at my somewhat unexpected visitor, who was sitting on a chair not too far from the bed.

"Well… It's been a while since you've last seen me…" I said to him.

Mark smiled lightly at my words.

"Well, I have been kind of busy lately…"

I don't know the reason why he is visiting me (for any of his visits). I knew he came from the cooking festival, since he came into the room with his entry in his hands. His entry lay on the table, untouched by him.

"Why are you here anyway? You didn't win?"

"I won 3rd place actually… I just left to visit you is all… Making sure that you're okay…" He said to me.

"Uh-huh… Are you sure you're here to see me or to ease that guilt?"

He looked at me surprised.

"Gu-guilt?"

I hate it when people pretend they don't know what you are talking about, when they damn well know… But, Mark is just like that sometimes.

"Yes, your guilt. Pierre told me what he said to you a few days ago... He tells me everything."

"_Or I at least I hope he does…_"

Mark sighed and he slid his hand over his face.

"He told you huh…? I should have known…"

He sighed again and looked down at the ground.

"Well… Do you think he's right?"

I shrugged my shoulders, as best as I could.

"I don't know, you tell me." I said to him.

He sighed once again, not wanting the answer I gave him most likely.

"Why don't you ask Chelsea?" I told him, almost mocking him.

He pulled on one of his gloves nervously and said, "She doesn't know about it…"

I sighed, now annoyed.

"Look, I don't understand why everyone is confiding in me about whatever is bothering them. Quite frankly, it's getting on my nerves. First, it was Chelsea about why she's not visiting me, then Vaughn-"

He looked up at me at the mention of his name.

"Vaughn? What was he doing here?"

He looked annoyed and slightly angry, both emotions I have never seen him do before… Not even those times I tried to piss him off a long time ago (was it that long ago?) when he was a 'happy-go-lucky' person… Nothing seemed to anger him…

"Yeah… He came by here on White Day… And he gave me chocolate cookies." I lied.

I only said it just to see his reaction. As I expected, he looked at me in disbelief and then he frowned in confusion.

"Uh…" He said, not sure how to reply to me.

"I'm just kidding Mark, take a joke once in a while. Jesh…!"

He laughed, but it was a forced laugh… The asshole… Don't laugh now; it's not as funny when the joke is told that it's a joke!

"He gave me a regular chocolate bar, and he told me that he was giving me one because he 'appreciated' that I took Chelsea's place… Seems kind of sick to me, but who's complaining."

After my explanation, I saw him frown more… He looked _more_ pissed off. I wish I was in a better position and- mood… But, I couldn't help but smile.

"Oh…! So that's what's going on…!"

I already had a small feeling that he might have had a thing for 'Miss happiness', but I just took it as a feeling- not evidence. Well, what I'm seeing here is evidence enough!

He looked at me, clearly confused.

"What are you talking about?"

"Hmm… Well, I can see now why you did what you did… Though, as Pierre said, it seems kind of unfair…"

He still looked confused, but I wasn't going to explain myself to him… Whenever I see Pierre, I'll tell him about Mark's changed behavior- or whatever…

Just then, the door opened (slammed open is more like it).

The first thing I saw was Dr. Trent, no surprise there… And the person he held over his shoulder, I thought it was a child at first… But then, I saw the familiar purple suit…

And I felt my gut tighten, and I had a bad feeling that today- just turned into hell…

Dr. Trent looked at Mark and yelled at him, "Get out! You must get out!"

Without arguing, Mark got up from his seat and left the run in haste, though I could see the concern on his face.

Dr. Trent slammed the door in his face with his free hand and he put- Pierre onto the empty bed that was beside me. Pierre didn't look good. The color of his skin was a little discolored (darker- almost a greenish/blue) and he was breathing rapidly, as if he couldn't get enough air into his lungs. His eyes were closed and it looked like he was- frozen.

"What the hell happened!" I yelled at the doctor.

He was busy taking off his white coat and he threw it somewhere on the side.

"Puffer fish…!**_(1)_**" He said to me.

What the hell is puffer fish! I don't know what that is! But, whatever it was, it did this to Pierre.

The doctor put his hand on the side of his neck, feeling for a pulse it looked like. He sighed in relief, but he ran out of the room. He came back shortly after with some sort of weird machine in his hands.

"What are you going to do with that?"

"I have to empty his stomach before the toxic spreads anymore! If I don't hurry, he'll most likely die from the poison."

I started having a hard time breathing myself.

"_Pierre… Die! He better not die on me! Or I'll go to wherever he is at and then kick his ass! He can't leave without telling me about it!_"

The machine he had, he put it onto Pierre's stomach. He kept picking up the thing and hitting (more like slamming) the thing down against his stomach, trying his best to empty his stomach… And I'm watching the whole thing… I focused on only Pierre's face, his little body being forced to move up and down again- as if he was receiving an electric shock…

I suddenly saw something drip from the side of his mouth. The doctor took the machine off of him and turned him over, now he was on his stomach. He moved him so that his head was lingering on the side of the bed. He left the room once again, and came back with a bucket…

He put the bucket under his head (most likely, Pierre was facing away from me) and then he constantly patted his back- hard.

"Come on! You got to vomit it up! It can't stay in your stomach!" He yelled in frustration.

I realized that he was sweating a lot, noticeable on his forehead. He didn't bother wiping it away though, he continued hitting Pierre's back instead… But, Pierre continued to act stubborn and would not cough up the contents.

"Damn it Pierre! Do what he says!" I yelled at him, not sure if he can hear me or not.

As if he heard me, I heard coughing coming from him… And then I heard the gagging noise and then the heaving… I closed my eyes, not wanting to see him in this state. I tried to also tune him out, but I already heard the disgusting squishing sound hitting the bucket.

I opened my eyes once again, but looked at the doctor. I expected him to be at least a little disgusted, but he seemed all calm and unmoved by Pierre's- actions… He sighed in relief.

"Thank Goddess…"

He flipped Pierre back on his back after he was done. He put the pillow behind his head and he put two fingers against his neck once again. He looked at Pierre up and down, an intense look on his face.

"The color of his skin seems to be turning back to normal now… Though at a slow rate… His breathing seems to be returning to normal as well…"

He took off something from around his neck. It was a stethoscope of course. He put the metal part of it against Pierre's chest, moving a little of his purple suit out of the way in order for it to touch his skin.

"Hmmm… His heartbeats sound normal…"

He pulled it away from his skin and he snapped his fingers in front of Pierre's face.

"Are you awake? Can you hear me? Respond if you can, any movement will do." He said.

Pierre didn't move, he continued to just breath. He sighed in reply.

"Of course…"

"Of course what!"

It wasn't right of him to keep information to himself or say something out loud and not explain it to me.

"He seems to be stable- for now… But, most likely he's paralyzed…"

"Paralyzed!"

He nodded his head.

"Yes… Puffer fish can do that to you…"

I gritted my teeth in anger. The so called fish obviously came from some dish back at the festival.

"Who did this to him?"

"Uh… Well, I can't say…" He said to her.

"Answer the fucking question!"

If I wasn't in the current state that I was in, I would have gladly punched the doctor without hesitation. He finally sighed in defeat.

"The last thing he ate was miso soup… Which was- Chelsea's entry…" He finally admitted.

That stupid damn bitch! Didn't she know what she was cooking! And if she didn't, she had no business making it in the first place!

Dr. Trent sighed once again and he took a seat at the same chair Mark sat in before. He slid his hand down his whole face, obviously frustrated and exhausted.

"As I was somewhat saying before… He is stable for now… But will most likely be paralyzed still… However, just because he seems normal, doesn't mean he will- recover… If he is fine in about 4 hours to one full day, then I can be absolutely be sure that he'll live and recover. He might go into coma for a few days if he does live…"

"And what happens if he doesn't- recover in 4 hours…?"

The answer is obvious to me, I know that damn it! But that doesn't mean I believe it…!

He gave me a look, one that basically said, "Do you want me to say that out loud?"

I sighed in answer, and then I told him, surprising him, "Leave…"

"I'm afraid I can't do that. I have to watch over him and make sure that he'll recover and-"

"I SAID FUCKING LEAVE! I'M NOT ASKING!" I yelled at him from my laying position on the bed.

He didn't flinch at my tone or outburst; I guess he somehow expected it. He's probably getting use to me; he has been 'taking care of me' for the past few weeks.

He sighed in defeat and said, "I'll be back in 10 minutes… No more, no less… Anything happens, yell for me…"

He picked up the bucket that contained Pierre's stomach contents and he left the room, closing the door gently behind him.

When I thought he was gone far enough from the door, I extended my arms towards Pierre's bed and I crawled on my hands and elbows, pulling my whole body. Luckily his bed wasn't that far, or I would have fallen onto the floor and wouldn't be able to get up…

Even though the whole crawling was difficult to do, making my back hurt a little each time I moved, I made it. I was hovering, just a little, over Pierre's small body, mostly his chest.

"Pierre…"

I griped his tiny hand and intertwined it with mine.

"If you can hear me… Squeeze my hand…"

Nothing… I felt no pressure or anything… I sighed.

"Pierre…"

I could feel my whole body shaking… I never display my feelings like this, not to anyone. I feel so damn weak when I do this… It makes me feel like I'm like- Elliot… Ugh…

"I want you to listen good and long… If you dare leave me here alone… So help me… I will go wherever you are- and I will swiftly kick my foot up your small ass…! You hear me…?"

No response from him… Not even a crack of a smile hovered on his lips. I couldn't help but hit his chest; I think I did it hard, but in this moment. I didn't care; my anger was getting to me- and something else…

"Do you hear me damn it!"

Still no response from him. I kept hitting his chest; my hits were getting lighter and lighter…

"Answer me! I said answer me damn it!"

Of course, still no response…. I put my head on his chest- and I cried… Something I haven't done in a very long time…

"Pierre… It's not fair… It's not fair…!"

* * *

**Pierre's POV**

I can hear her… Sobbing… In all of the time I have known her- I have never seen or heard her cry… Never…

I tried to speak, but my tongue, no… My whole mouth felt numb… I couldn't move my head; I couldn't move my arms; I couldn't even open my eyes to look at her… I can't move anything… I couldn't even taste the spit in my own mouth… I couldn't even swallow it… I won't die drowning on my own spit- will I?

"_Natalie… I wouldn't leave you… You know that… I wouldn't dare do that…_"

I felt so weak… So weak… And tired… But, I wasn't going to give up! I won't do this to her! She doesn't want me to go! I don't care what the doctor said! I will live!

Even though every particle of my body felt numb, and I couldn't feel anything or even feel Natalie's soft and gentle touch (which I just _knew_ was somewhere), I used all of the strength I had- and I squeezed her hand…

"_I'm not going anywhere…_"

* * *

**Dr. Trent's POV**

"_What's happening on this island? This is the third person I had to deal with concerning injuries… This many people shouldn't be getting hurt- especially in one season…_"

I buried my hands in the palm of my hands and sighed, for possibly the thousandth time that day.

I was in my rented room, sitting on the bed…

"_There's got to be a logical explanation for all of these- accidents…!_"

I could demand for answers…

"_No… I won't… Not this time… But, if someone else gets hurt… Then I'll demand for some answers… And I will not take 'no' as an answer…_"

* * *

**Denny's POV**

She was still standing there, in front of her entry… Just staring into it… She hadn't left that spot since Dr. Trent yelled that it was puffer fish that caused the reaction on Pierre… Not even when Julia came up to her and tried to talk to her… I saw her nod her head or she didn't do anything at all to her reply. Julia gave up on her… Others came up to her as well, including Sabrina, but she didn't reply to any of them… I haven't seen Mark yet…

I sighed.

"_Better do something…_"

Someone touched my arm.

"She's not talking Denny… She's scaring me…"

That was Lanna's voice, and she really sounded concern.

"Same here Lanna…"

"She won't wake up from her daze Denny…"

"Well, I haven't tried yet… I'll take a crack at it…" I said.

She took her hand off of my arm and I walked up to where Chelsea stood, stopping beside her.

"So… A rough competition huh! Guess we'll never find out who won right?"

I hit my elbow against her lightly, but she didn't react to it. I held back the sigh I wanted to make.

"Puffer fish huh…? I have to say, not even I would catch one of those things… I don't mind sharks, sure, but a puffer fish is a completely different thing… It's like trying to catch a jellyfish and then try to eat it…! They require a lot of equipment and the person needs to be super careful with those things! Not only that, they're very difficult to cook…"

She turned towards me and sighed, but didn't say anything.

"Puffer fish… Just wow… It's funny that they puff up, making them look funny and harmless. But, it's strange that they are quite the opposite… I didn't know you don't mind taking risks like that."

I looked at her again, and realized her eyes glazed over a little.

"_Oh… Did I say something wrong…?_"

"Denny… I didn't add fish to my soup…! It somehow got in there! I was thinking about adding it to my dish earlier, but I changed my mind! But, even if I did add fish to it, I wasn't planning to add puffer fish to it! What kind of person do you think I am!"

In the back of my mind, the words 'omen' filled it. But, I ignored the word, still thinking that the whole thing is bogus.

"O-Okay Chelsea! Calm down…! There's no need to panic… Maybe one of the other contestants got their bowl mixed up with yours! Maybe the person was adding a last ingredient and put it in yours by mistake! I mean, it is kind of dark in that tent, making it hard to see whose bowl is whose…"

She sighed.

"You could be right…" She said.

She looked down at her bowl again.

"The person must have worked really hard on it… The piece of fish that Pierre ate looked like a piece of potato that I cut… The person must have cared about the presentation of their dish… Looks count as well- I guess…" She said, slowly warming up to my idea.

I patted her back.

"Hey, Pierre will be fine. You'll see. He'll be walking around in no time! Though… He'll be hard to see due to his shortness…" I said, while shifting my eyes around.

She laughed a little, just the response I wanted from her. She sniffed once through her nose and then she shook her head, but she still had the smile on her face.

"Ye-yeah…"

She picked up her bowl and faced me.

"Thanks Denny…"

I shrugged.

"No problem…"

Her eyebrows furrowed, as if she was thinking about something, and then I saw her eyes twinkled, as if an idea came to her.

"I-I got to go! Thanks Denny!"

She then turned away from me and ran off. I just scratched the top of my head in confusion.

"Uh… See ya Chelsea!" I yelled before she left the meadow completely.

I saw Lanna beam at me, but her eyes were asking me, "What did you say to her?"

I don't think I've said much, not really. But, all that matters is that it worked.

* * *

**Mark's POV**

I just left the hotel. Dr. Trent told me that nobody is allowed in the room, at least, not until tomorrow…

"_What happened to Pierre…? Dr. Trent wouldn't even tell me…_"

He was fine when I left the meadow…

I was walking down the path now, planning to go talk to Elliot about what happened. He'll be concerned at least a little… Pierre has been keeping Natalie occupied and quite calm… Without him…

"_She's going to be a mess… Like a tornado most likely…_"

I then saw Chelsea… She looked like she was in a hurry… Maybe she would know what happened to Pierre…

"Hey Chelsea!"I yelled to her, waving my hand at her to get her attention.

She stopped in her tracks and looked at me. I ran up to her and stopped right in front of her. I noticed she had her entry in her hand.

"Chelsea… Do you know what happened to- Pierre?"

She sighed before she said, "Puffer fish… He ate puffer fish…"

"Oh…"

She must have seen my confusion, because she continued.

"Puffer fish is basically a poisonous fish… It came from- my bowl of soup…"

I looked at her in surprise. Why would she put such a dangerous fish in her dish?

"I-I didn't put it in there…" She said, as if she read my mind.

She sighed, and I could tell that the conversation was over… She confirmed it by walking to her house, and she entered without even saying goodbye to me… I sighed once she was out of sight and I continued my walk to Elliot's house…

Chelsea hasn't really been talking to me much… Well, unless she has to…

"_I wonder if she's mad at me still…_"

I somehow believed that…

* * *

**Witch Princess's POV**

How many hours has it been? Or days? Seasons? How long has it been since I have been searching and searching for a solution to my dilemma!

Anything that concerns magic, problem or not, I am somewhat oblivious to everything- including time. I don't keep up with time anyway. That's why I don't have a clock in my house. But, I don't see the point of one; it's just another distraction that humans use of why they can't get work done. And I am not a human!

Many magical books littered my floor, more so then the many teddy bears on the floor, in their sitting position… But, no matter how many books I have looked through, I still haven't found a solution to my inability to see into the future. I can still do other magic, but I can't do any type of magic that concerns time…

"Damn it!" I yelled in frustration, throwing yet another book onto the floor.

Just then, I heard a knock at my door. Not really caring to see who it is, I yelled, "Come in!" while I grabbed yet another book off of my shelf.

I heard my door creak open.

"Hey Witch Princess… It's been a while since I've seen you…"

I haven't heard her voice in a long time, now that I think about it…

"Ah, Chelsea… It has been a while since I heard from you. Not interested in witches anymore?"

"That's not really the case… I've just been very busy is all… I can see that you're busy as well."

"You have no idea…" I said as I flipped through the page in the book I held in my hand.

"Wow… You didn't even have time to come to my birthday party…"

"Birthday party?"

"Yeah… Mark made a surprise party for me… I can see your invitation on your bed…"

Oh yeah… Mark did come by here some time ago. Talking about some party… Guess it was hers. But, I don't have time for celebrations anyway! Not the problem I still have no solution to.

"Well, if you want, I can give you a quick birthday gift… What would you like? A love potion? That's what I hear is quite famous among humans…"

"No thank you… Though, if it comes to me, I'll let you know…"

"Yes… Now, is there a reason of why you are here?"

"Well… I came by to ask you if you have anything that can help a friend of mine…"

"Does it concern the bad event that happened today?"

I heard her gasp in surprise.

"Ye-yes…! How did you know that?"

"I am a witch. I can sense bad things that occur. Every time something is done wrong, purposely or not, I get this kind of spark throughout my body. How do you think I live for so long? Everyone does something bad, at least once in their life."

"A friend of mine is dying and you're getting a—kick out of it!"

"Well, if your friend dies, I would get a kick out of it. It's the same with animals. You should understand and know this by now."

I heard her sigh in frustration.

"Do you have something that can help him or not?"

"No I don't. Do I look like the medicine girl to you? What happened to your friend anyway?"

"I thought-"

"Just because I sense it, doesn't mean I know the exact details of the damage. I have been very busy, so I only know what's going on a little…"

"He has been poisoned by a puffer fish…"

"Puffer fish eh…? Well sorry to burst your bubble, but there isn't even a known cure for that even among us witches. What moron would eat that anyway?"

She said nothing to that. She didn't talk until a minute or so later.

"I can see that no help will come from here…"

"You should have known before you knocked on my door."

"…. I'll be going then… I'll see you around…"

I heard my door creak open again and I heard it close. I looked towards my door, once she was gone.

"_So… Another unfortunate event has happened… I have been feeling a lot of sparks lately… Will these sparks continue?_"

Hmm… If I remember correctly, Chelsea mentioned some sort of problem the Goddess was having… She has the same one as me I've last heard… But, how is her sightseeing affected?

"I remember feeling a spark on- the Harvest Goddess birthday…" I mumbled to myself.

I only remember because I planned to leave a little 'surprise' for her… But that was when I started having my own problem…

"_Did something happen there that is causing these other unfortunate events?_"

It seemed likely, but I don't believe in superstitions… Something is going on… And it's time for me to find out what.

**_TO BE CONTINUED…_**

* * *

**BONUS**

* * *

**Title:** **_Pierre's Oath_**

**By:** kitty868theonly

**Rating:** K; Even a little kid could read this…

**Type of Story:** Harvest Moon: Island Of Happiness; Pierre; **Oneshot (Pierre's POV)**; General.

**Quick Summary:** After Pierre has passed his final test of becoming a gourmet, he is now going to work harder towards his dream. Making an oath to himself, will he ever be able to fulfill it?

**Character's Presented (in Order of Appearance): **Pierre.

**Started On & Completed Date:** November 10, 2009

**Total Pages:** 02

**WARNING:** This oneshot (more like a drabble) has **_NOTHING_** to do with the story above. Though, possibly it is… There just isn't a date for it… Anyway, this one was created for 'obvious' purposes… Because Pierre is hurt in the chapter above, therefore it would be best to create an oneshot for him as well.

* * *

**Pierre's POV**

"_So… I am finally considered as a gourmet… No longer an apprentice…_"

I feel so happy! I knew that if I came to this island, I would be able to find new discoveries as ingredients!

"_Not only that… I have discovered friends as well…. Such a charming place…_"

The whole island is a very nice place to live… Originally, I only came here to search for new ingredients that could be turned into delicious dishes and then I would be on my way to somewhere anew... But… I don't want to leave…

Strange right? I will say that I still want to reach my childhood dreams of working in that famous kitchen. I still have this desire to travel the world to discover other ingredients… But, this desire that I have isn't as 'fired up' as it use to be… In fact, it feels like it's in content…

"_What has changed?_"

I hear a knock at my door. Without facing my door I yelled, "Come in!"

I heard my door open and then I heard it being closed again.

"Hey Pierre."

I turned to face my continuous, but in a good way, visitor. I smiled at her and said, "Want to learn something new to cook?"

Natalie nodded her head, once, her face holding a blank expression.

"Yeah, I don't mind. It keeps my mind occupied… Cooking has actually calmed me down…" She admitted to me.

I waved to the stove behind me.

"What would you like to learn how to cook?"

She shrugged her shoulders.

"Anything will be fine truthfully."

I thought about, going through all of the recipes I knew. I then smiled at her widely as the idea hit me.

"How about we try to make finest curry?"

She looked at me in shock.

"That's the most difficult dish to make there is."

"I know. But, if you mess up, think of it this way. The messed up dish will not go to waste at least, it'll be used to help make the finest curry**_(2)_**." I told her.

She said nothing, so I continued.

"Besides, you don't like food wasted. So, wouldn't it be best to make this dish?"

She smiled lightly at that and nodded her head.

"Yeah, it would be." She finally said.

"Okay then. I will start the stove while you get the ingredients. I'm sure you know where they are at by now."

She nodded her head and headed towards the shelf to get some of the dry ingredients first while I went to the stove to turn it on.

"_She had been hanging out with me lately… I have to say that I admire her encouragement to keep trying… I have never seen her get mad before, even when she messed up on a dish… Well, I have seen her get mad or close to it… However, she only does it when she messes up and the dish is thrown away…_"

The reason I think she keeps trying is to not mess up at all, so that way the food will not go to waste…

"_I promise to myself that I will work hard towards my dream… But, at the same time, to teach this woman, and to learn something from her as well._"

* * *

**AUTHOR'S COMMENTS/NOTES**

* * *

I almost have nothing to say about this chapter…

The title of the chapter, 'What's Cooking?' is actually a reference to R.L Stine's Goosebumps series. No, the storyline to his book is not the same to this chapter here- neither is it even close to his plot (at least, I think so)… But, I liked the title of the book enough that I used it as a chapter title.

If anyone is beginning to wonder if this 'omen' is bogus or not- I'm not saying… Believe in whatever you want to believe in… You can take guesses if you want, but I won't answer them- not directly anyway… Future chapters will clear this up, I'm one-hundred percent sure of that! Onto the numbers, not much this time:

**(1)** _Puffer fish_: This fish is nothing to laugh about. It's funny when it puffs up and you might have an urge to poke it to pop it… Don't… Puffer fish (most of them I believe) are very poisonous. In Japan (and other countries), this is considered as a delicacy called, 'Fugu', which just means puffer fish in English… Those of you that are 'dying' to eat this dish, eat at your own risk… There is no known 'cure'/'antidote' if one becomes poisoned by the dish. According to Wikipedia (one of the many sources I used concerning this), the victim of the dish will most likely be paralyzed (etc.) but still be conscience and aware of their surroundings… It goes into details about sodium channel blockers (science nerds might know what this is- I do XD) and other things of how this happens and why. There is a dish also of puffer fish that isn't poisonous at all! I rather go for that one, but, me being the cautious one, I just won't try it at all…

To add on to this, this is one of the types of fish that can be caught in the game- during the Spring and Winter seasons only… So, I didn't add this into the story based on- made-up-ness (not a word XD). It's because this fish can really be caught in the game... I will admit that it was rather by- coincidence…

**(2)** _… help make the finest curry_: To those of you that might not own the game (or have it); the recipe to make the finest curry dish requires a failed dish, white curry, and rainbow curry. Other ingredients can be thrown in as well.

**_THANK YOU ALL FOR REVIEWING (And to those that read anonymously)!_**


	11. Chapter 10, Bad Luck

**Chapter 10, Bad Luck**

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**SPRING 25TH – WEDNESDAY**

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**Chelsea's POV**

"_I don't feel like going to work…_"

I was still lying in my bed, just looking up at the ceiling, while I constantly squeezed the spring clip in my hand.

When the Witch Princess told me that she couldn't do anything to help Pierre, I felt at a lost… Remembering how Denny described a puffer fish (like trying to catch a jellyfish); it had to be a very dangerous type of fish. Not only that, he made it quite clear that even he wouldn't dare catch such a hazardous fish…

Even though I know I didn't do it… I still felt guilty for his injury… Not only that, I felt very- afraid… I was very tempted to eat my soup while I was at the festival because I was hungry… If I had…

"_I would be the one in a bed right now…_"

I'm beginning to think that maybe I should leave and not come back- for any reason…

"_But… If I do leave, what will happen to the island?_"

I remembered the reason why Mark hired me in the first place. He hired me to take care of the animals to produce products from it… In result to that, the mayor will continue to do business with everyone on the island… If I leave…

"_The island will be abandoned…_"

The mayor will most likely not do business with anyone here on the island…

I sighed to myself and I closed my eyes again.

"_Why did Mark have to hire me?_"

I realized that I had to make a decision…

* * *

**Vaughn's POV**

I just got off the boat and I started heading towards the ranch, to help Chelsea with her ranch work… I help her first and then I go take care of the animals at my aunt's shop (and house).

Once I reached the ranch, I knew something was wrong. The first thing I noticed was that Chelsea wasn't outside waiting for me… In fact, I couldn't see her anywhere… But I saw someone else…

He saw me from his position in the field, but he quickly went back to work. I stood there, looking around again with my eyes for the familiar red bandanna, but I didn't see her anywhere…

The stupid rancher stopped with his work and he walked up to me.

"_He better not annoy me…_"

"Morning…" He said, though not really meaning it, it was forced.

I grunted in response. He looked behind me briefly before he looked back at me.

"Have you seen Chelsea? She hasn't come yet… She is usually here about the same time I leave my house…"

How would I know? I just got here; he really has no brains at all.

"No I haven't seen her. As you said, she is usually here when I come here to help her."

"Hmmm…"

The way he made that sound, it sounded like he didn't believe me. Need I remind him that he is the liar and not me?

"Well… She won't require your help soon…"

Here he goes again, trying to kick me off of his property. Does he not get it yet?

"Chelsea already explained this to you. So you can stop trying to kick me off your property. I will be here for awhile, whether you like it or not."

He looked at me with a serious expression on his face.

"I'm serious… She won't need your help soon… Dr. Trent took off her bandages yesterday. Just by me looking at her, she'll be back to using both of her hands pretty soon."

I couldn't stop my eyes from widening in shock.

"_Her bandages have been removed…? So soon?_"

Why would I be upset about it? In fact, I should be glad, that means I don't have to waste my valuable free time with helping her. I could go back to doing just my own work and then I have all of the time in the world to do whatever I want… Including leaving…

Mark seemed to have seen my reaction. He moved his head a little closer (too close for my liking) to me, and whispered, "In other words, you will no longer be needed."

I growled at him in result and he moved away from me. Not because he was afraid of me, not exactly, but because he knew I was about to hurt him without restraint. He was really pissing me off, more than he had already.

"_He better hope somebody stops me before I hurt him._"

As if on cue, I heard someone say from behind me, "Sorry that I'm a little late. I was a little preoccupied with something…"

I turned to face her.

"I just got here, so there is no need to apologize really."

I tipped my hat at her and smiled lightly at her.

"The bed refused to let you go this morning or something?"

She shook her head, but didn't smile… In fact, she didn't even say 'Good morning' to me like she usually would whenever I came by to help her. What's wrong with her?

"Good morning Chelsea." Mark said to her.

The idiotic rancher obviously didn't notice her stress of whatever is wrong with her. She said nothing to him; she instead went straight to the stable- saying nothing to me or the dumb rancher behind me… I walked over to the stable. I thought Mark was going to follow me, but he stayed standing in his spot, apparently still in shock of Chelsea's reaction.

I opened the stable door, and then I heard barking. I looked down, and sure enough, there's some brown dog barking (not negatively) at my heels. I bent down to the dog's level and patted his head, him whimpering in happiness. While doing that, I looked at Chelsea, who was busy brushing the horse down.

"Hey… Why are you so quiet?" I asked her.

She sighed. She said nothing to me for a few minutes, but I didn't mind. I'm pretty patient, when I want to be that is...

"It's nothing… I'm just- tired is all…"

I stood up and glared at her. She couldn't see it though; her back was turned to me.

She was obviously lying to me. Fine, if she wants to be that way.

"I can see that your arm is not bandaged anymore…"

I saw her smile, just a little one, but it quickly faded.

"Yeah… I'm happy too… It's nice to be able to use both of my hands again…"

She put the brush back into her rucksack and then she faced me.

"You don't seem happy." Stating the obvious.

She shrugged her shoulders.

"People can't be happy all of the time."

I decided to ask about the new addition to the stable. I pointed to the dog and asked, "Where did he come from?"

"Keeper? He followed me home, so, I took him in. He'll be living on the ranch. Which I think is best; he'll be great to guard the animals."

I decided not to ask about the name of the dog. I looked at the dog again.

"He seems pretty small…"

"His size doesn't matter. He's still a good watch dog. He's pretty brave too."

As if the dog understood her compliments toward him, he sat up straighter and barked happily.

"See? He agrees too."

I shook my head and she passed by me to leave the stable. We both walked to the barn, and she still didn't act like herself… She hasn't even started humming yet…

I looked at the animals and we had a little (or a lot rather) work to do.

"I can milk the cows and you can sheer the sheep." I told her.

Even if she can do all of the tasks by herself now, her arm will most likely still be stiff or something- right?

She just nodded her head and she gave me the milker. I went straight to work. Even doing that, there was silence between us. The animals felt her distress, they were very quiet… Even the curious sheep was being quiet and not wandering around the barn much.

I don't mind quiet and silence, but this didn't feel right…

We finally left the barn, though she asked me to not put one whole tank of milk into the shipping bin (most likely for me). Though, she didn't say why not to put it in the shipping bin, I'll just wait until she confirms it… Though I wanted a drink badly…

We went into the chicken coop, and without saying anything to each other, we got to work… After I finished taking care of one of the chickens, the second one I was working on- had a wing that was bandaged. I picked up the chicken and faced Chelsea with it in my arms.

"What happened to this chicken?"

She stopped her work and faced me. She sighed before she said, "I'm not really sure… But, I think that Mark left her outside and she somehow broke a wing…"

My eyes widened and then I felt the familiar anger rising within me.

"What hell was he doing taking care of the animals?" I asked, surprising myself that I didn't yell at her instead.

She sighed again and said, "Well, on my birthday, he came by my house and told me that I had the day off… So, I took a day off…"

"Day off or not, taking care of the animals is your job, not his! You should have worked anyway, being your birthday or not! Why didn't you!"

She frowned at me, the only expression she displayed so far this morning.

"Look! I'm going through a lot right now…! I don't need to feel guilty about something else, okay!"

I growled at her in answer.

"You think you're the only one having problems in your life! Comparing yours to mine, yours isn't as bad as mine…!"

I put the chicken on the ground and I walked passed her, ignoring her hands that became fists and her slightly shaking body. She had no damn business letting that idiotic rancher taking care of the animals, her day off or not!

I left the coop, slamming the door behind me. I walked pass the field, and Mark saw me. He must have noticed my angry face, because he immediately looked back in the direction I came from. I saw him leave his work, most likely heading towards the area where I left Chelsea.

She can tell him whatever she wants, because right now- I don't give a damn.

* * *

**Sabrina's POV**

It's early in the morning, I know. Usually I would be inside the house, but I felt like I needed to be outside. I had the sudden urge to come outside and try to have some sort of art inspiration… Like that picture I drew for Chelsea…

"_The same day she hung out with Vaughn…_" My conscience reminded me.

I sighed in sadness. He obviously liked her company or something… Wish I was that lucky…

I pushed any other thoughts in the back of my mind and continued my walk to the beach, where I get some of my inspiration from.

"_And to continue your stalking habits…_" My conscience said to me.

I decided to ignore it. I don't intentionally stalk him, I just really like that place… It's the best place to go to come up with ideas for some reason…

I looked up and saw the man that makes my heart stop momentarily, and then make it beat harder than normal… But, he looked really angry… He wasn't trying to hide it either… He was stomping (while walking) and he had a clear scowl on his face. He continued his walk towards the beach, and then he disappeared from my view…

"_Maybe it's best if I don't go there right now…_"

But, my feet took me towards the beach anyway… Once I was there at the entrance, I saw him… He was standing there, his back to me, looking out into the ocean it looked like. He didn't look angry the way he stood- at least from what I was seeing… I looked around, and realized it was just us here in this moment. I still wanted to walk away, but again, my feet took me towards him. Though, I stopped a few feet away from him.

"He-hello Vaughn…"

His head snapped towards me and he looked really angry. I think I took a step back in fear. But, I slowly saw his face loosen up. I guess he was realizing I was someone else- the person that didn't cause his rage in the first place. He slowly turned towards me completely, his arms folded over his chest.

"Hey." He said in reply, his face blank now.

I sighed in relief to myself. And since I didn't really plan to talk to him, I stayed very quiet. I think my face turned red. I saw his face slowly change into slight concern.

"You're not sick again are you?"

I couldn't help but giggle. He seemed to frown a bit at that.

"I'm okay… But, thank you for escorting me home that time… I'm sorry for worrying you…"

"I wasn't really worried for you. It would just be annoying that if you did faint, that I would get in trouble later for letting it happen to you."

I smiled to that, and I think he looked confused.

"I think it's nice of you to think that way! You're obviously a very nice person!" I said to him.

If I didn't know better, I think his face turned slightly red.

"What are you talking about? What makes you think I am a nice person just for doing something that is common sense?"

"I can just tell that you're a nice person!" I said in reply.

He shook his head and said nothing for about a minute before he said, "You're weird…"

That comment hurt me a little, but I laughed it off.

"Hey! How are you two this morning!" Someone shouted from the distance, coming from the direction of the ocean.

I decided it was best for me to leave. I turned away from Vaughn, quickly waving goodbye to him and said, "Hope we can talk again!"

I ran off the beach with a smile on my face.

"_He really does care…!_"

"_You are just plain delusional…_" My conscience said to me.

* * *

**Denny's POV**

After I shouted that from my position on my boat, I saw Sabrina suddenly turn away, though it looked like she said something to Vaughn, and then she ran off…

"_Okay… She obviously doesn't like me or something. Do I come off as offensive? Well, if I remember right, I did say once that she avoids even talking to me… She is just plain weird…_"

My boat finally hit the dock, not too far from where Vaughn stood. I jumped off my boat and picked up the rope, holding it in my hand to make sure my little boat didn't drift off.

"Morning Vaughn." I said to him.

He turned towards me, his face blank.

"Hey Denny." He said to me.

"So, I noticed Sabrina was here a second ago… What were you two talking about?"

He shook his head and said, "She was the one doing the talking. I was just being quiet. She was just being- weird as usual…" He said.

I shrugged my shoulders. Guess it wasn't important… Though, it made me wonder, the only person she seems willing to talk to is Vaughn… Mark being the other person, but that's because he talks to everyone. I haven't really seen her talk to Elliot before, but I'm going to assume she has….

"Anyway, what brings you out here so early?"

He said nothing for a moment, but I saw his face frown and a scowl appear on his face.

"Uh… Did I say something wrong?"

"It's not you I'm pissed off with, it's Chelsea."

I couldn't help but smile and chuckle at that. He snapped at me of course.

"It's not funny!"

"Okay so it's not… Anyway, why are you mad at her?"

"On her birthday, she let Mark do her damn job while she took a day off! Just because it was her birthday! She should have still done her job, regardless what day it was."

I looked at him with an eyebrow raised.

I turned away from him a moment to pull my rowboat onto the sand, so that I don't have to hold the rope any longer. Once I was done with that, along with my thoughts in order, I turned to face him again.

"I understand how you feel…"

He looked at me in surprise, but I wasn't finished yet.

"But, what did you do on your own birthday?"

He frowned slightly and then he said, "I was told to stay home on my birthday… My boss said I needed a break."

I again looked at him with an eyebrow raised.

"Uh-huh… Aren't you being a little hypocritical?"

He scowled, but I saw him nod his head slightly in agreement.

"Alright… Fine, so I was a little unfair with her… But my job is a little—different. My- coworkers wouldn't dare upset the animals- they're good at their job- most of them... Mark on the other hand, isn't good with animals at all."

I shrugged my shoulders at him.

"But you still took a day off, didn't you? Because you trusted your co-workers enough to do their job."

"I guess you can say that…"

"So, what do you think Chelsea thought? She obviously trusted Mark enough to do her job. Otherwise, if she didn't, she would have most likely done the job herself. Right?"

He scowled again, but he also nodded his head in agreement.

"You can't point the finger at someone else when you did it yourself… Makes you— hypocritical… And I'm sure you're not like that at all." I said to him.

He said nothing, but I saw his face relaxing just a bit.

"I think you should apologize to her…" I told him simply, without hesitation.

He scowled at me and I put up my hands in front of me and I closed my eyes, looking away from him.

"You don't have to take my advice you know. But, I think you should."

"Why should I?"

I looked at him, feeling a little mischievous.

"Well, if I remember right- I was right that you should have apologized to Sabrina if you didn't want Chelsea to be mad at you anymore."

"She was mad at me for more than one reason."

"Even so, I was right about that… And then I was right about you getting her a present… If I saw correctly, she did seem mighty grateful for her present…"

I saw his face go a little red before he pulled his hat down to cover it.

"And then, I was right again when you went to talk to Chelsea to not leave the island. And she stayed."

He looked at me in surprise for that one. He probably thought I didn't see him leave the beach to go talk to Chelsea instead of leaving to go home on that day, but I saw him.

"Annnd, I was right that you should hang out with Chelsea on her birthday. If I remember right, you both seemed to have enjoyed yourselves."

He said nothing to me, his hat still hiding his eyes and a little of his face.

"Are you _sure_ you don't want to take my advice?"

He again said nothing. I stood there, patiently waiting for his answer. He finally spoke, though I didn't really like what he said.

"I just have two words to say to you…"

I became a little nervous, because I didn't like what those two words could possibly be… I had a feeling what they were… I closed one of my eyes, waiting for him to say the dreadful words to me.

"I will…" He said, saying the exact opposite of what I was expecting.

"Huh?" I said, almost stupidly.

I wasn't really expecting him to take my advice, but, he did… Huh… He must have seen my confusion, because he slightly frowned at me.

"What? You thought I was going to say something else?"

"Well, truthfully yeah… I thought you were going to say, 'Screw you.' Or something like that…"

I saw his face go blank, maybe thinking, and then he smirked just a little.

"I'll remember that for next time, when you're pestering me."

"He-Hey now…"

He chuckled, obviously he was joking…. I think… I laughed lightly along with him.

He turned away from me and walked away, exiting the beach. He made a signal with his hand at me; he did that once before when he left saying 'goodbye' to me… Though, I think this one meant he will be seeing me later… Yeah, he's definitely my friend.

* * *

**Dr. Trent's POV**

I sat down on the long dark brown bench. I looked towards the front of the church, looking at the Harvest Goddess statue.

"_Comparing this church to the one back at home, there isn't a statue of the Goddess… But, this one seems more- dull… There isn't an organ here or anything like that… How are some people suppose to rejoice or something of the liking? I'm not really religious myself, though I do go to the church back at home…_"

I only go to the church back at home because there is scientific proof that having some sort of faith in a spiritual being (real or not), that miracles do and can happen- sometimes…

"_I can't stay here long though… I got to get back to Pierre… To make sure that he doesn't choke on his own spit or his tongue and other things of the liking… And to hook up his- 'life support'… At least, until he wakes up…_"

"_That's if he wakes up…_" My conscience said to me.

It may sound wrong and cold, but I have to look at this realistically. Not a lot of people survive after eating puffer fish- especially what he consumed (I'm guessing how much he might have eaten)… He may be alive now, but he might go into a deep coma and never, if ever, wake up.

I sighed out loud. I was supposed to come to this island on vacation in summer, next season… Only a few days away… Instead, I come here early in spring to care of injured people… I like my job, but I deserve a break once in a while… Even my wife back at home tells me that I need one… The main reason why I took a vacation in the first place, otherwise I wouldn't have agreed.

I couldn't help but smile about the thought of my wife, Elli.

"_She has done so much for me…_"

I sighed again. I haven't spoken to her since I came here. I miss her…

Just then, I saw someone sit next to me, to my right. I look at the person, and I knew who she was… Well, I don't really know her, but I have seen her near the pond outside.

"Hello." I said to her.

She looked at me and smiled lightly.

"Good morning to you doctor."

I couldn't help but stare at her… For some odd reason, her smile- reminded me of Elli… My Elli back at home…

"What brings you to the church today?" She asked me.

I sighed.

"You wasn't there at the festival yesterday?"

She shook her head at me.

"I'm afraid not… I was caught up with reading the book about the Harvest Goddess again…"

"Well, I'm here because yesterday, Pierre became ill due to eating something that is— hazardous…"

I heard her gasp in horror and she said, "I'm sorry to hear that… Is he okay!"

"He's okay…" I told her, to not worry her.

"Shouldn't you be with your patient then? To make sure he's truly okay?"

"Yeah but…"

She seemed to sense my stress or discomfort, both words will do…

"You didn't really tell me why you're here."

I sighed before I said, "Well, I just read in some scientific papers that sometimes believing in some spiritual being can be helpful- to a certain extent. By doing so, miracles can happen…"

"So, you're telling me you're a disbeliever?"

I sighed once again.

"Right now… I don't know what to believe in…"

She looked away from me, looking at the statue at the front of the church.

"Well, I know what you can believe in…"

I gave her a sideway glance, wondering what's on her mind.

"I know you can believe in your abilities to help him as much as you can. If you believe in yourself, you can do it. Sometimes that is just enough too."

I couldn't help but to once again stare at her, in shock. She so much reminded me of Elli… What she said sounded like something Elli would say to me…

She looked back at me and said, "You should probably get moving. You don't want to worry your patient."

I nodded my head in agreement and stood up. I headed towards the exit, but I turned to face her once more.

"Excuse my memory, but, what is your name again?"

She turned towards me, in such a way that I saw Elli there, instead of this pink haired young woman.

"My name is Alisa." She said with a smile along with a small giggle escaping her mouth.

I blushed… So much like Elli…

I turned away from her and thought, "_Once I check on my patient… I'm going to call my wife… Talk to her and tell her how much I miss her._"

* * *

**Julia's POV**

I sighed once again, while my elbows rested on the counter and my head leaning against my open palmed hands.

"_Poor Pierre…_"

And poor Chelsea too… She wouldn't say a word to me yesterday… I tried to cheer her up, but she ignored my words and continued to stare out into space…

I sighed once again… I really hope she is okay…

Just then, the front door opened and the bell rung to indicate the visitor. I looked towards the door and jumped up happily.

I ran from behind the counter to hug the visitor.

"Oh Chelsea! You're okay! I thought I wasn't going to see you for the next few days!"

She chuckled lightly and said, "Well, it wouldn't be me if I did do that…"

I let go of her and looked at her, she looked exhausted.

"Chelsea girl, you look tired! Are you sure you're okay?"

She sighed.

"Not really Julia… I still feel awful for what happened to Pierre…"

She took a seat on the stool in front of the counter and I sat on the other one beside her.

"Hey… It wasn't your fault right?"

She shook her head.

"Yeah, I know it's not… But still… Sometimes I wonder if any of these things would have happened if I came to the island or not… You know? Sometimes I wish Mark didn't hire me at all… I wish it was somebody else…"

I patted her hand gently.

"Hey, bad things can happen to anybody. It's not you Chelsea… Why don't you go visit him, that should make you feel better…"

She sighed once again.

"I want to but… Natalie… She'll most likely have my head… She probably thinks I have something to do with it…"

She looked at me, her face so full of sadness.

"I can't go there alone… I want someone to come with me…"

She was most likely asking me to go with her. I really do want to go with her, but Natalie is- well, she's Natalie… I don't think she likes me very much either… I remember when I first hung out with her brother; she found it strange and said that it was weird that I thought her brother was interesting. When I told her my reason why I liked Elliot, she scoffed in disgust and basically said, "Whatever."

"_Hmph! She's one the talk! She's hanging out with Mr. Cook Midget…! Though, he is a sweet little doll…!_"

I smiled at the thought.

"Uh, Julia?"

I woke up from my daze. I was about to tell her that I will go with her, regardless how I feel, but that was when the back door opened.

In walked in my grumpy cousin, though he looked a little deep in thought now. His head was down at first, but he looked up and he immediately stopped his walking course.

"Oh…! Chelsea… I was-uh… About to go see you…"

I looked at him with an eyebrow raised. I wanted to so badly laugh at his face, which was turning red, but I held back.

"You were? What for?" She asked.

His face seemed to turn a darker shade of red. He pulled down his hat to hide his face.

"I wanted to say that I was… I ah… I apologize for my- behavior this morning to you… I shouldn't have- uh- yelled at you…"

He sounded so nervous. He may be my cousin, but even I have to say that what he was doing looked cute. I couldn't hold back my giggle that time. Vaughn glared at me of course. But, he decided to ignore me.

I saw Chelsea smile just a little.

"It's okay Vaughn…"

I saw her twirl her fingers around, as if she wanted to say something else. But, it looked like she wasn't going to say anything… I'll remember to ask her about it some other time…

I looked at Vaughn with a grin on my face, having yet another idea. He didn't like my look. He was getting ready to turn and go elsewhere before I could say anything, but I beat him.

"Why doesn't Vaughn go with you to see Pierre? I'm sure he'll be much better company then me. If Natalie gets feisty with you, he'll back you up." I said to her.

Vaughn looked at me darkly, but I ignored his face expression. She looked at Vaughn and I saw Vaughn's face go slightly red once again.

"I guess… But that is if he wants to… He doesn't look like he wants to…" She said.

Vaughn blush face faded and he became serious.

"I don't mind going with you… But, why are you going to see him anyway?"

She sighed but said, "You'll see when we get there…"

He didn't say anything, surprising me that he wasn't demanding answers from her. He simply nodded his head instead.

"Let's go now then…" He said.

He walked up to the door and stood by her. Chelsea opened the door and left. Vaughn followed, but he gave me one more glare that read, "I'll take care of you later." And then he left.

I smirked at their retreating forms. Vaughn is definitely looking happier than usual. Though, I'm not so sure about Chelsea. She just seems to be acting normal… Being the same as usual… I have to talk to her…

I clapped my hands together.

"Time to go see my cutie-pie!" I squealed.

I ran to the door, took out my keys, planning to close the store only for about an hour- I'm sure mom wouldn't mind.

I opened the door and exit out of the shop.

* * *

**Chelsea's POV**

We walked along the path that would take us to the Hotel. I constantly kept worrying if Pierre will be okay. Since I know that puffer fish are poisonous, I'm going to assume that it has the ability to— kill Pierre.

"_Please don't let that happen to him…_"

I wouldn't be able to live with myself if someone's death is on my mind… If he does become deceased… I will have no choice but to leave this island… I just wouldn't be able to live like this… Vaughn remained silent next to me.

We finally reached the Hotel, I took one deep breath before I opened the front door. I walked into the lobby with Vaughn following behind me. I walked up to the door where Natalie would be; most likely Pierre would be there too… I again took a deep breath, and slowly let it out before I opened the door.

Dr. Trent wasn't anywhere in the room, pity… He could have made sure that Natalie would be calm while I was here…

As I somehow expected, Natalie was up. She looked towards the door, and she made the ugliest fuming face I have ever seen.

"You have a lot of damn nerve coming here…" She said through gritted teeth.

I looked down, not looking at either beds for the moment.

"I came by to see how Pierre is doing…" I said to her, almost in a whisper.

I heard her scowl.

"Funny, I don't hear any words of apology. _You_ did this to him!"

I heard someone growl, I think it was Vaughn, but I'm not sure…

"I didn't do that to him Natalie…" I said, as I looked back up to look her in her eyes.

"Liar! You got a little overconfident with your cooking skills and tried to cook something new! Not even considering the danger you would put someone else life on!"

I heard the growl again, this time a little louder. I looked at Vaughn this time, a sideward glance, and I saw his eyes flared up- in purple of course… His body was slightly trembling and both of his hands became fists. He looked like he was trying to keep calm- as best as he can… I better fix this situation before he starts yelling…

"I'm not a liar Natalie. I cooked miso soup with nothing but vegetables in it… When he tasted my soup, I thought he was eating a big piece of potato that I cut up… It turned out that it was the puffer fish that was shaped like a potato… If I had of known Natalie, I wouldn't have let him eat it…"

She still looked at me, her eyes giving me a death glare. If looks could kill, I would be dead already…

"Natalie… Do you really think I would hurt someone? Do I really look like that type of person?"

"I don't know. I hardly know you…" She said.

I saw her glare loosen and her face relax. She looked away from me and sighed.

"I guess not…" She finally admitted.

Natalie might be a very stubborn person, but even she can see the truth of the whole situation and admit to be wrong... I finally took a good look at Pierre… He looked like he was sleeping… There was an IV hooked up to him, most likely to help him live for a long period of time, if need to be…

"What did Dr. Trent say about his condition?" I asked her.

She sighed once again, but she looked at Pierre with a look that expressed- longing, for his company…

"Dr. Trent said that if he has survived this long, he'll be fine… He won't die… Though, he doesn't know how long he'll be in coma… He said it could be a few more days, maybe a week- maybe even a season… He said it's hard to tell… He's not sure how much puffer fish he consumed. He said if he had of saw what he ate, he would have been able to calculate how much poison he possibly consumed and then determine from there when he will most likely wake up… But, since he doesn't know…"

She became very quiet. I didn't know what to say to cheer her up. So, I remained silent. Sometimes it's best to let the silence take over when words just won't do…

She sighed sadly and said, "He'll get better… I know he will… He'll wake up… And then I'll clobber him…"

I shook my head, but it made me smile, just a little. Natalie is still Natalie, even in a serious situation she's the same.

"I'm sure he'll wake up too." I said.

She said nothing to me, now just looking at Pierre, lost in her own thoughts. I turned towards the door.

"I'll see you later." I told Natalie, looking at her once more.

She nodded her head, but said nothing to me.

I opened the door and left, Vaughn followed me… I almost forgot he was there… He was so quiet…

Once we left the Hotel, that is when he spoke.

"She didn't have to get so angry that quick… She should have waited until you explained the situation to her at least…"

I gave him a look.

"Didn't you do the same this morning?"

He looked down, his eyes hiding under his hat.

"Yeah… But, you should have explained, I would have listened…"

I said nothing to that. I kept on walking, with him keeping the same pace as me, beside me. He then looked at me and said, with a small grin on his face, "You still owe me ice cream."

In reply, I stuck out my tongue at him.

"I guess I do… Even though you didn't catch me."

He chuckled. I sighed, pretending to be in defeat.

"Fine, I'll get your ice cream. I didn't know you liked sweets so much… I'll remember that…"

I stopped and turned to face him fully.

"But-! I want to eat some real food right now! So, how about some lunch first, and then I'll get your crummy ice cream."

He touched the brim of his hat and said, "Fine. But, you're paying."

I pouted at him and he just grinned in reply, walking right pass me. I followed him to the Diner. We entered and the place wasn't crowded, just to be expected. It's mostly crowded around dinner time, not really lunch… Though it might be the opposite for the café…

We took a seat, though he mostly choose where to sit, closest to the door of course…

"Well, what would you like?" I asked him.

He looked at me in surprise.

"I was only kidding Chelsea. I'm not really hungry anyway."

"Hungry only for your ice cream eh? That's fine."

He folded his arms across his chest and shook his head, but I saw a hint of a smile there.

I got up from my seat to order my meal at the counter. The owner, Luke, was there of course.

"I would like a Chinese dumpling."

He nodded his head.

"Anything extra you want in it?"

I looked at the menu behind him on the wall. I nodded my head.

"Adding mushroom into it will be fine. Either shiitake or matsutake will be fine. Oh! And please, no fish in it! At all, okay? Please make sure that no fish gets into the dish at all."

He nodded his head.

"Okay, that'll be 2,445G!"

I went through my pockets and gave him the exact amount of gold. He took it and said, "Thank you! Your order will be ready soon!"

I went back to the table and took my seat across from Vaughn. I rested my elbow on it and my head rested in the palm of my hand.

"What did you get?" He asked me.

"A Chinese dumpling."

He made a slight disgusted face.

"Don't like that either?"

He shook his head at me.

"No. I hate most vegetables. Carrots are just at the top of that list…"

"But you like sweets… Isn't there anything that you can eat that is real food?"

His face went a little red, but not enough for him to want to pull his hat down.

"I... I uh… Like to eat porridge…"

"Porridge?"

He frowned slightly at that.

"What's wrong with that?"

"Well, nothing I suppose but it's so… Bland or something…"

He scowled at that.

"I'm not making fun of you… But, wow… Porridge… Somehow it's not too surprising that you like something like that…"

He scoffed (more like an 'hmph!') and looked down, the hat covering his face.

"Oh come on Vaughn…! Don't be like that!"

He didn't look up at me. He's most likely mad at me, and he decides to draw within himself.

"Well… One day, maybe I'll come up with something better then porridge… And you'll like that too…!"

He still didn't look up at me, but I thought I saw him smile just a little. See? He's not heartless; he's just- antisocial…

"Here's your food!"

The man put my order in front of me. He walked back to his spot and I smelled the aroma coming from my food.

The dumpling was rather large, and there was a little brownish and white liquid inside of the dumpling, mixed with the vegetables and one of the mushrooms was floating around in the liquid. I looked real close, sighing in relief that there wasn't fish in it. I picked up a spoon, ready to eat the mushroom first. Maybe only I do this, but whatever meal I eat, I always eat what I like the most first- eating what I liked the 'least' last.

I put my spoon inside the liquid, picking up the mushroom along with it, and made the trail to my mouth. Just then, I felt the spoon being smacked out of my hand.

"What the-!"

My spoon clattered to the ground and the mushroom I wanted to eat was there on the ground as well. I looked at Vaughn, and saw his hand slightly raised, him being responsible that my food (a little of it) was on the ground.

I couldn't help but scowl at him a little and I said, "What was that for! Is this revenge because I spilled your ice cream! I said that I would pay for it! Now look at the mushroom on the floor…! I wanted to eat that!"

He was looking at the mess on the floor and he scowled back, but maybe not directed at me.

"That mushroom isn't for eating…"

Okay, I'm confused now. What is he talking about?

He pointed to the mushroom on the floor and said, "Look at it again…"

So, I bent down a little, to look at the mushroom closer. It took me a moment to realize that the mushroom wasn't brown… It was white… I must have thought it was brown due to the brown and white liquid being all over it…

"That's not a mushroom… That's a toadstool**_(1)_**." Vaughn said, his voice sounding a little angry.

I stood up from my seat, now angry. I stomped up to the counter where Luke stood behind it.

"Uh… Is there a problem Miss?"

"Yes! That Chinese dumpling you made me had a toadstool mushroom in it! I could have been poisoned!"

"_Like Pierre…_" My conscience echoed to me.

He looked confused and afraid, he should be.

"I-I… A toadstool mushroom was in there? I'm so sorry Miss. I don't know how it got in there… I'm sure I grabbed the matsutake…"

I growled at him, this wasn't helping. He stuttered and then he said clearly, "I really am sorry…! I'll give you a refund for your meal!"

He went through the cash register and gave me back my 2,445G- exact amount. He sighed after he gave it to me, obviously not happy with the situation. Well, he should have been more careful.

I turned away from the counter and walked back to the table. Vaughn looked up at me from his seat.

"What did the idiot do?"

"He gave me back my money."

He nodded his head, I guess approving what the man did. He looked at my dumpling on the table. "You're not going to eat that- are you?" He asked me.

I shook my head.

"I don't think so. The toadstool most likely contaminated the rest of the food… I'll just eat later…"

He stood up from his seat and headed towards the door. I trailed behind him. Once we were outside, I decided to walk beside him. I didn't know what to do now, my appetite was ruined… Well…

"Since you basically saved my life Vaughn, you deserve a reward."

He did that half-smile on his face.

"You mean my ice cream? That's not really a reward when you already owe me it."

I shook my head.

"Of course not that! But, maybe that tank of milk I asked you to leave will be enough?"

He grinned at that and nodded his head in agreement. So, we headed towards the ranch to get it.

Once we got there, I realized I didn't see Mark anywhere, but he could be inside of his house or somewhere else…

Vaughn continued his walk to the barn, retrieving the tank of milk by himself most likely- not like he'll need help…

He came back only a minute later, with the tank swinging in his right hand.

"I'll drop this off at my aunt's shop… Then maybe we can go for a walk in the forest…?"

I looked at him in surprise. I didn't expect him to stick around; he could have left after my visit to Pierre. But, he's still here…

"Yeah. I guess we can go there after."

We exit the ranch and before we could make a turn, I saw a familiar face- one who doesn't usually leave her home.

"Witch Princess?" I said, not sure if what I was seeing was really there.

Sure enough, it was her. She crossed the bridge and ran up to me.

"I'm her. I left my house because I wanted to ask Mark something. But, I suppose you'll do." She said to me.

She didn't seem to acknowledge Vaughn's presence, but I don't think he wanted to introduce himself anyway.

"Okay… What is it that you want to know?"

"I want to know if something bad happened on the Harvest Goddess birthday. If so, tell me the details."

I wish she didn't ask. I didn't want to think about the omen right now… I was, again, almost poisoned today, except by a toadstool mushroom and not by a fish like Pierre. Vaughn must have sensed my reluctance to answer her, because he spoke up.

"Who are you? I haven't seen you around before."

She looked at him, as if she was just noticing he was there.

"I am the Witch Princess. I live in the forest there. On the other path, not the one leading to the church or the pond, but the one before that one… And you are?"

"I don't think there is a need to tell you my name… You said you're the Witch Princess, why don't you figure it out."

"I don't think so. I don't have time to waste my magic just to figure out someone's name."

He shrugged his shoulders at her.

"Then I guess you'll never know." He said.

I saw her squint her eyes at him and she pointed a finger at him.

"Maybe I should turn you into a donkey. The perfect transformation if you ask me. It'll be a major improvement too."

I waved my hands in front of her, before she or Vaughn could say anything else to each other.

N-No need for that! Uh, you said you wanted to know about that day… Well, something did happen on her birthday… Her statue fell down and- it hit a friend of mine in the back… She's right now required to stay in bed for a while…"

She nodded her head, satisfied with my answer.

"Have any idea how it fell?"

I shook my head, she didn't like the answer I gave her, but she had no choice but to accept it.

"Well, that was all I needed to know. I'll see you around." She said.

She glared at Vaughn once more, and then she ran off. I saw her going back across the bridge, most likely going back home. Once she was gone, Vaughn looked at me.

"She's delusional isn't she? Not only does she think she is a witch, she thinks she lives in the forest."

I shook my head at him with a smile on my face.

"If you think she's crazy, don't blame me if you make her angry and she turns you into a frog or something else."

He scoffed and rolled his eyes at that.

We continued our walk to the shop. Vaughn entered and I followed him. His aunt was behind the counter this time and Julia I think was in the kitchen, I could hear clattering of things coming from that direction. Mirabelle looked up and smiled at us both.

"Hello you two."

Vaughn tipped his hat at her and I waved.

"Just in time you two! I want to try to make pizza, but I might need help here."

"You're trying to cook something again Julia?" Vaughn said.

He turned towards his aunt and said, "Why do you continue to let her cook meals? Are you trying to get her to kill us?"

Julia's head poked from behind the wall that separated the kitchen and 'business' area.

"I heard that Vaughn! If you think you're so good, why don't you do it!"

He said nothing, but then he turned towards me.

"You can help… That is, if you want to…"

I saw Julia pout and then she said, "Oh! So you'll only eat what your girlfriend will make you!"

Vaughn snapped his head around to her.

"It's not like that…!"

Julia stuck her tongue out at him. In answer, he stalked over to her, the tank of milk still swinging in his hand, and her head disappeared from view. He soon disappeared in the kitchen. I could then hear a lot of clattering going on- pots and pans it sounded like… But, it didn't sound like they were being used in the correct way… I saw Mirabelle shake her head and I giggled just a little. Those two must be having a war in there.

"You two stop your bickering. Don't make me come in there!" She said over the noise.

As if some silence device was put over the area, the clattering of the dishes stopped. I guess they were really fighting with them… I shook my head again and laughed.

"I'm coming to help Julia!" I said as I ran into the kitchen area.

* * *

The almost completely eaten pizza was almost gone. Julia loved the pizza, Mirabelle agreed with her, and Vaughn didn't comment on it at all. But, he didn't have to. He at least ate 3 slices of it. So, he was either eating it to be nice or because it tasted really good and he loved it himself. I choose the latter of course.

I sat there, my stomach full and good. That pizza really did taste good. Vaughn stood up from his seat and got himself a cup of milk from the tank I said that he could have.

Julia looked at me with a smile.

"That really was good Chelsea!" She said.

She looked where Vaughn stood, while he was drinking his milk.

"Isn't that right Vaughn?"

* * *

**Vaughn's POV**

"_Why is she trying to embarrass me?_"

Instead of giving her the reaction she wanted (me being embarrassed), I said, "If you mean compared to your cooking, hers' is like on a scale of 10, from a scale of 0 to 10, while yours is a negative 1."

She frowned at me.

"But, that's below the number zero."

"Exactly."

She picked up her plate, most likely going to throw it at me. But of course, aunt Mirabelle stopped her form breaking one of her dishes. Julia pouted in result. Aunt Mirabelle faced me and said, "You can do the dishes Vaughn. Since you seem to have nothing to do."

I drank the last bit of the milk. The milk tasted good, but, it was sweet… I didn't put anything in it… Something else was making it taste sweet… In fact, it tasted like- cinnamon… Though, I thought I tasted something else in it, but, it was hard to tell…

I put my cup into the sink and said, "I can't. I'm going to- escort Chelsea back to her house. Unless you want her to walk back alone at this time of night."

She put up a finger at me and wagged it.

"Oh no you don't! You're not going to slide your way out of doing this chore today. I want you to do the dishes first, and then you can walk Chelsea home." She said to me.

All well, it was worth a try… Not that I was using the excuse to not do the dishes. I was planning to do them once I got back… Not that I want to walk Chelsea home… Forget it… I'm not going to explain myself…

I saw Chelsea clear the table, putting the dirty dishes into the sink. I got myself one more cup of milk, drinking it quickly before I got busy with the dishes.

Chelsea and Julia went to the other side of the house, going to the 'shop' part of the building. I could hear them talking, about whatever they wanted to talk about. Aunt Mirabelle got up and got a book from the shelf, guess she was planning to read for the rest of the night…

I finished washing the dishes after about 10 minutes. I walked into the shop area, and the two girls were still chatting away. Though, it looked like Julia was doing the talking more. I walked up to them and said, "Ready to go Chelsea?"

She nodded her head and jumped off the stool she was sitting on. Julia grinned at me, but then she looked at Chelsea.

"You take care of him Chelsea." She said to her with a wink.

I saw Chelsea giving her a confused look, and I just rolled my eyes.

"Let's go." I said to her.

She looked at me and nodded. She headed towards the door, opened it, and stepped out. I glared at Julia, hoping to wipe that grin off of her face. But when I left, I still felt her grin from behind.

Chelsea was outside, waiting for me. She faced me once I closed the door behind me.

"You're home isn't far. So, let's get moving."

We walked along the path and it didn't take us long to reach East Town. However, as soon as we stepped one foot into East Town, Chelsea and I both stopped in our tracks. Looking towards her house- her door was open…

She ran towards her house in alarm, I wasn't that far behind her. Someone was robbing her house it looked like. Though, the person wasn't being subtle about it, leaving the door wide open…

She stopped in front of her door and looked in; I looked in from behind her. There was only one person inside of her house, a man. The man didn't _look_ like a robber. He looked too neat and wasn't wearing much to cover his identity.

In fact, he was wearing a black suit, looked really expensive, a red tie to match and some white undershirt he was wearing. The guys' hair was reddish brown and it reached the back of his head, just reaching his shoulders; he also had short bangs, covering his forehead a bit.

Chelsea pointed a finger at him and said, "Who are you! Just because you look adorable, doesn't mean you can break into people houses!"

I scowled at her words and at the so called man that she called 'adorable'.

The man just looked at her with his horrible gray eyes.

"My name is Charles**_(2)_**. I am the repo man."

Shit! _He's_ the repo man! Well, I can't really help Chelsea here…

"What! Why are you here!" She demanded.

"Why do you think?"

"Hold on now! I haven't received a bill or anything this season! In fact, I have been checking my mailbox everyday! And I'm telling you right now mister that I have not seen any bills- or bill!"

Charles blinked his eyes at her.

"The bill should have been received on the 20th the latest. Most people here pay their rent within a day, even any newcomers. It is now the 25th, not one reply from you concerning your bill."

"I'm telling you for the last time, I didn't receive a stupid bill!"

He reached into his small pocket in the front of his jacket and pulled out a piece of paper. He opened the folded piece of paper and showed it to her, while he held it.

"This is a 'receipt', proof that the bill was mailed to you. Now, unless you have any proof that we didn't send it to you or that someone robbed your mail, then I have the right to take something away of equal value. If you repeat this action, what will be taken will be double the value of the bill next season."

I growled at him and he shifted his eyes to me.

"If I was you, I would tell your friend to calm down, or he might do something he'll regret."

He turned away from us, and I really did want to lunge at the guy, but he was right… I didn't want to put her into even more trouble…

He looked around her house for a minute, and then he finally approached her bed, where tons of small plushies or whatever they are lined up. He looked at them closely, and I saw his hand reach for the brown horse- the one I got her on her birthday.

I couldn't help but growl. That thing wasn't cheap, not only that, she liked the gift I got her. I can't get her a replacement. He looked at me briefly, but he turned back to the bed. His hand moved over the brown horse and he grabbed another plushy doll. It was a small giraffe.

"I'm assuming this is about the cost of 1,000G." He said, turning to face Chelsea.

Chelsea just nodded her head, not saying a word. He put the small stuffed animal into some hidden pocket inside of his jacket. He slightly bowed to her before he stood back up straight.

"Have a good night… Hopefully we won't be seeing each other again anytime soon… Maybe it'll be a more— appropriate meeting next time."

He walked up to the door, looking at her once more, and then he left her house. I scowled after his form and looked back at Chelsea with a blank face expression. She was obviously a little upset… She bit her bottom lip, and her lip was trembling.

"Hey… You're okay…?"

She nodded her head.

"I'm okay… I can easily replace that one… It's just that… It was one of the first I ever collected…"

I sighed and patted her back gently. She'll be okay…

Suddenly, I felt really itchy all of a sudden… I started to scratch my right arm. At first, it was like a normal itch that a person gets randomly. But it didn't go away after I scratched it, it kept getting itchier. And then I felt my face get itchy, but I didn't dare scratch… It was beginning to be difficult to not itch it though. My whole face felt itchy. Chelsea looked at me, noticing my strange behavior.

"Vaughn? You okay?"

"Not really..! Why the hell am I so itchy?" I said as I continued scratching my right arm, going to my left next.

She looked at me scratching my arm, and then she looked up at my face- and I saw her eyes widen. I don't know why…

"Vaughn… Your face… It's uh…"

"It's what? What wrong with my face?"

My throat felt itchy and my ears began to feel itchy too. What the hell is wrong with me! Though, somehow this symptom felt like-!

I ran up to a sliding door I presumed was her bathroom. I opened it and I walked inside… I immediately looked into the mirror. And I stared at my- reflection…

"Now Vaughn… I don't think you should panic…"

My face… There were little red bumps all over it! Some of them were beginning to grow a little bigger, about to become the size of 'small' zits. I couldn't imagine what my arms looked like… But, this only happens when-

I stepped out of the bathroom and pointed an accusing finger at Chelsea.

"What was in that pizza! Was there carrots in it!"

She shook her head.

"N-no! I didn't add any carrots in it, and neither did Julia! Why are you asking?"

I pointed to my face.

"Because, this is what happens when I eat carrots! I have a food allergy**_(3)_**! Damn it!"

I couldn't take the damn sensation to not scratch my arm like crazy. I continued looking at her in a glare, as I scratched like crazy.

"And this allergy doesn't go away until at least a day later! I can't work like- Damn it!"

I couldn't even say a full sentence without being irritated to continue scratching and focus only on that. I'm going to have a hard time sleeping tonight…

I saw her face turn into a small smile and her lips were pressed together hard- trying to silent a laugh it looked like. She better not laugh, I swear if she does…! And of course, she broke out into full laughter.

"Damn it! It's _not_ funny! There is nothing funny about having a food allergy!"

She continued laughing of course, I think until a few tears spilled from her eyes. She finally stopped laughing, though she still giggled a little.

"Well, at least it was only me that saw you like this… If it was Julia…"

Well, she was right there… So, I _guess_ I'm grateful at least a little…

"I'm not going back to the shop like this, Julia might still be up and aunt Mirabelle will go all mother kung-fu on me. Both I don't need right- AH! Damn this itchiness!"

I saw her shake her head.

"Come on. You can rent a room at the Hotel tonight I'm sure… I won't mention this to Julia."

I nodded and we left her house. I of course had to use my strong will to not scratch at all- do you know how difficult that is!

We reached the Hotel without incident from anybody. Luckily I didn't see any familiar faces… Or I would have to punch them to knock them senseless enough to forget the whole thing…

I gave Chelsea the money to pay for my room; I wasn't going to let anybody see me like this… Too damn bad that Chelsea did… I hope she won't use this weakness against me…

I stayed hidden in the shadows, waiting for her to pay for the room for one night. Once she did, I followed her to the room that was given to me to stay at tonight. Once I was inside, I closed the door behind me. I was about to undress, but then I remembered Chelsea was in the room.

"You can leave now. I would like to go to sleep and hopefully get better." I told her.

She nodded her head and said, "Okay. I'll be out there and then I'll come back in."

"L-Look! You don't need to be here." I said to her, now getting irritated, not having to do anything with my itchiness.

She giggled and said, "I just want to make sure that you're okay is all. Once I'm sure, then I'll go."

Before I could protest some more, she left the room quickly, closing the door behind her gently. I sighed in defeat. In quick haste, I undressed myself, leaving on nothing but my black boxers- and my hat… I don't let anybody see me without my hat on… Not by choice anyway…

I jumped into the bed and pulled the covers to cover myself. Just then, there is a knock at the door, Chelsea of course.

"You can come in Chelsea…"

The door opened and Chelsea quickly stepped in, closing the door behind her. She looked at me and titled her head to the side.

"You wear your hat even when you sleep?"

I shook my head.

"No. I just don't want anybody to see my whole head is all."

"You don't like you hair or something?"

"That's not it either… I just want my hat on for now…"

She finally shrugged her shoulders. She grabbed a chair and put it as close as she could to the bed… It looked like she wanted to talk a bit… I could tell her to leave, but, it's okay… I guess I don't mind her company…

* * *

**Mark's POV**

I have to talk to her… But, I will have to find her first…

I searched almost everywhere in town. I'm searching East Town now, I approached her house, but it looked empty… I knocked on the front door of her house, but as I somehow expected, there was no answer- nobody there…

"_Where could she be?_"

I looked towards the Hotel… Maybe she is visiting Pierre and Natalie…

I headed towards the Hotel. Once I was there, I opened the door to go into the lobby. I looked around, mostly under the doors to see if any light was seeping through, under the cracks. Only one door did… And it wasn't the room where Pierre and Natalie rested…

I walked up to the door, curious who would be in the room…

Instead of knocking at the door immediately, I leaned my ear against it… I heard the familiar voice of the person I was looking for… She was obviously talking to someone…

I took my ear away from the door and I knocked. Her voice stopped talking. I heard the voice of the other person, and it made me want to kick the door down- almost…

I heard the shuffling of feet inside the room and the door opened not too long after. Chelsea's face greeted me. I didn't have to look behind her to know who the other person in the room was…

Chelsea came out of the room, being careful to not opening the door all of the way. She closed it gently behind her once she stepped out.

"Mark…! What brings you here?" She asked me.

"I… I wanted to tell you something…"

She looked at me confused, mixed with a look of concern as well. Wondering what was so important that I had to tell her now, at night, which could not wait until morning…

"Chelsea… I uh…"

I tried to get my thoughts in order… But, I couldn't… I couldn't say anything to her… Not here… Where certain ears were just on the other side of that door…

"Chelsea… Tomorrow… I want you to meet me at the top of the mountain… Tomorrow- night…"

She gave me a more bewildered look then before.

"At night tomorrow? Can't you…"

I sighed.

"Not now… Tomorrow Chelsea, at 6PM… Will you be there or not?"

She looked down at the floor, her eyes darting around… But, she finally nodded her head. She looked at me, right in the eyes and said, "I'll meet you there…"

That was all I needed to hear. I smiled at her lightly.

"I'll see you then… Good night…" I said to her.

She just nodded her head in reply, lost in thought maybe. I turned away from her and left the Hotel… And only one thought went through my mind…

"_What will my dreams be like tonight?_"

* * *

**Chelsea's POV**

As I opened the door to Vaughn's rented room again, I had to wonder what Mark wanted… And why did he want me to meet him at the mountain top tomorrow…? I had no answers, so, I guess I just have to wait for one…

"Who was that?" Vaughn asked me, waking me up from my thoughts.

I looked at him.

"It was Mark…"

I saw him squint his eyes at me from under the rim of his hat.

"What did he want?"

I shrugged my shoulders. I really didn't know.

"I don't know… It looked like he wanted to tell me something but… He seemed to back out on it… He told me to meet him at the mountain top tomorrow night…"

"….. What was your answer?"

"I agreed."

He scowled.

"I don't understand why you seem to trust him so much all of a sudden! If I remember right, you said that you wouldn't! And yet here you here you are agreeing to meet him at a dangerous place at night! What's wrong with you!"

"_Nothing_ is wrong with me. It just that— it looked like he wanted to tell me something important you know… Maybe he doesn't want to tell me at a crowded place or something…"

Vaughn scowled at my answer and then he waved his hand at me, as if he was dismissing me.

"Then maybe you shouldn't be here…! Just— leave…! Be with that damn rancher!"

I shook my head at him. I don't know what he's getting all worked up about. Has he forgotten that Mark is my boss? He'll be in a better mood tomorrow… Maybe he's concerned for my safety? Like that other time… That makes sense…

I turned to the door and opened it a little.

"I'll visit you tomorrow Vaughn."

"Don't bother coming by! I don't need your company!"

I shook my head again. I'll see him anyway, he's just being stubborn. I exit his room, closing the door gently behind me. I walked around in the lobby to reach the front door. Once I was outside, I walked along on the path to go home.

"_I still have to wonder… What does Mark want…?_"

**_TO BE CONTINUED…_**

* * *

**BONUS**

* * *

**Title:** **_Charlie's Worry_**

**By:** kitty868theonly

**Rating:** K; Even a little kid could read this…

**Type of Story:** Harvest Moon: Island Of Happiness; Charlie & Vaughn; **Oneshot (Vaughn's POV)**; General.

**Quick Summary:** Charlie is at the beach, but he is not acting the same. Usually he would be playing with Eliza or just goofing off by himself on the beach. But, today, he was just staring out into sea, with a thoughtful look on his face. Usually Vaughn doesn't concern himself with others, but, he figured he could- just this once.

**Character's Presented (in Order of Appearance): **Vaughn, Charlie, and Chelsea.

**Started On & Completed Date:** November 15, 2009

**Total Pages:** 02

**WARNING:** This oneshot has **_NOTHING_** to do with the story above. This one was created just for fun- I think…

* * *

**Vaughn's POV**

I was just standing at the beach, waiting for my ride to go back to the city… Not that I am eager to go back, I hate the city, but it's where I live. So, I deal with it…

I looked around the beach, or at least, at the only other person on the beach. Usually when I see him, he'll be playing with that other kid. If not playing with her, he'll be busy doing something- like playing with the sand or something… But, today, he has been standing in the same spot looking out at sea for the past hour… He looked- troubled… Usually I don't care and ignore other people because I have my own problems to deal with… But, as far as I know, kids shouldn't be worried about anything, not much anyway…

"What's your problem kid?"

He looked at me in surprise, most likely for talking to him because I don't really talk to anybody, but he regained his serious demeanor from before.

"Well… I wish my mother would move onto the island…"

I looked at him in surprise.

"You have a mother?"

He nodded his head.

"Everybody has a mother somewhere…"

Yeah, and only some of them know where and who they are…

"She is one of the reasons why my dad goes to the city every Friday… He only goes there to get supplies, if needed, and to see mom…"

He looked down at the ground sadly.

"Maybe she doesn't really love me… She never comes by to see me…"

I snorted at his words.

"Look, if your mother didn't like you, then she wouldn't have allowed you to be an apprentice or travel the world with your father. She probably can't visit at the moment because there is the possibility that she is very busy."

He looked at me in surprise, completely stunned.

"Not only that… Why do you expect her to come see you; why don't you go see her?"

I saw him look down, frowning a bit, but then he smiled and looked back up at me.

"You're right…! I should go visit her! In fact, I will see her next Friday! I'll surprise her!" He said cheerfully.

He ran somewhere behind me, but I heard him yell, "Thanks Mister for the advice!"

I couldn't help but smile, just a little, and touch the brim of my hat. The brat isn't too bad after all…

If Vaughn had of turned around, he would have seen that someone else saw him show kindness towards the kid, Charlie. Chelsea smiled to herself and thought, "_He isn't really mean at all… He's nice and good with kids too… Who would have thought…_"

* * *

**AUTHOR'S COMMENTS/NOTES**

* * *

I finally made it to the double digits! Wow! I feel tired though… Anyway, yay again! I also made it to a little over 400 pages! So, if you read this far, give yourself a pat on the back (not being sarcastic)!

I'm pretty proud of this chapter! And the next chapter I think I'll be proud with as well! Can't wait to work on it!

For those of you that might be confused with the whole scene between Sabrina and Vaughn, well, in the game, that scene is basically the second heart event between Sabrina and Vaughn… You tell me if that is a good thing or not… I don't mean really tell me but… You know what I mean…!

As for the BONUS, I think in the game, Charlie's mother is dead… I can't remember and I don't feel like looking it up right now… But, I think I am sure of it, feel free to correct me…

Speaking of correcting me, I now have one beta-reader! Her name is Pheonixfire and she is from the Ushi No Tane forums. So, give her an applause eh? This is also good news because that means I can rest a bit more and write a little less, but not that less…

The reason I named this chapter 'Bad Luck' is because I wanted Chelsea to 'yell' at Vaughn at some point in the story and tell him, "The reason I am having a bad day is because you keep wearing black! You're like a black cat, stop crossing my path!" XD Or something along those lines… But, I didn't know where to add it after I written all of the action out and things like that… So, it's left out… But, I decided to keep the title! No really a bad thing… I think…

Uh, well I think I'm done with any comments for this story, so on to the numbers (not many this time):

**(1)** _Toadstool_: In the game, it is a white mushroom that is obviously poisonous or something else that makes them sick (proven if thrown into the big pot on the Harvest Festival in Fall). In real life, they are actually the same type of mushroom that Mario eats and it makes him grow to an enormous size- and they are poisonous… If someone eats this mushroom, I suggest seeking immediate help and calling poison control. Why? Well, here is what it does, in detail:

"Poisonous mushrooms contain at least two different types of toxins, each of which can cause death if taken in large enough quantities. Some of the toxins found in poisonous mushrooms are among the most potent ever discovered. One group of poisons, known as amatoxins, blocks the production of DNA, the basis of cell reproduction. This leads to the death of many cells, especially those that reproduce frequently such as in the liver, intestines, and kidney. Other mushroom poisons affect the proteins needed for muscle contraction, and therefore reduce the ability of certain muscle groups to perform."

Those words, as said by David Kaminstein, MD, are the whole 'cake' of what happens. These symptoms are similar to what happens when on eats puffer fish- though I think their toxin is something different compared to the mushroom. And, toadstools, just like puffer fish, are still poisonous even if cooked. Though, puffer fish can be cooked in a certain way (and certain parts) to make it not poisonous- though one has to be 'licensed' to cook it… More information about this toadstool can be found online.

**(2)** _Charles_: This person is an actual character in the Harvest Moon series. He is in the game, for the PSP device, 'Harvest Moon: Sugar Village and Everyone's Wish'. As far as I can remember, he isn't in the HM: Save the Homeland one- though this game is like a 'remake' of that one… Anyway, in that game, he is a bodyguard/goon for a woman that goes by the name Alice, who is the one that is planning to make the piece of land into a theme park or something extreme like that... This game hasn't been released in America yet. I wish they would make a girl version of this game- I like some of the guys D: . Some of them are so cute! I would probably marry Charles- even if he is a repo man in this story XD And then I'll go marry the other guys that look suitable.

**(3)** _Food allergy_: A food allergy is exactly what it reads- an allergy that is trigged after eating a certain food or a certain food that is eaten and it has a certain nutrient (etc.) in it that triggers the allergy. If any of you are asking who is allergic to carrots- I am! XD I'm serious, as soon as I eat a carrot (raw or cooked, doesn't matter)- my ears and throat begin to itch like crazy. My allergy isn't as bad as Vaughn's though, I don't get bumps or anything like that on the face and my arms are fine… I just did that to Vaughn because it's funny! XD Anyway, I figured maybe that is the reason why he hates carrots- and maybe not due to the horse/cowboy jokes.

**_THANK YOU ALL FOR REVIEWING (And to those that read anonymously)!_**


	12. Chapter 11, Lost

**Chapter 11, Lost**

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**SPRING 26TH – THURSDAY**

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**Chelsea's POV**

I woke up in the morning as usual, trying not to think about the giraffe Beanie Baby that the repo man took (even if he did look kind of cute), and not think about what Mark could possibly want to talk to me about tonight...

"_I wonder how he'll act today…_"

Before I could even get myself something to eat, there is a knock at my door. I walk up to it and open it, and there stood Dr. Trent.

"Good morning Chelsea." He said.

"Same to you Dr. Trent. What brings you here so early?"

"Just came to check on the progress of your arm."

I opened the door wider and I showed him my arm. He just looked at it without touching it. He nodded his head a minute later.

"Very good! Your arm will definitely be better by the 28th! But, until then, don't do any heavy work yet. When the 28th comes, I will do one final check-up and then I will approve or disapprove if you can do any heavy type of work."

I nodded my head in reply.

"I hope you'll approve."

"Most likely I will, you just have to keep up with your exercises."

I nodded my head in reply again.

"Well then, you have a good day."

He turned and left, towards the Hotel it looked like… Most likely to check on Pierre and Natalie…

I closed my front door and turned towards my kitchen. I sighed and hoped Pierre would be okay… Best not to think about him too much… He'll be fine if I don't worry too much about him… Suddenly, an idea popped into my head.

"_After work… I'll make a surprise for him…_" I said with a smile.

* * *

**Elliot's POV**

I looked at the clock on the wall of the house. 10AM it read.

"Time for me to get to work…" I grumbled.

Ever since my sister has been- too hurt to work, I do all of the work now… And I mean _all_. I would have to package any items people wanted to ship (including crops/products from Mark's ranch) on time, make sure there are enough crates to ship them off in, count and recount all of the crates to make sure none were missed, and then make sure I put all of them onto the ship… Doing all of these things takes hours to do, making me have less time for myself… Not that I think work comes second but… Work shouldn't be doing this to me… I'm feeling more tired everyday and there are times I don't want to get up and do anything at all… Doing all of this by myself is a lot harder than I thought it would be… Plus, adding my somewhat minor clumsy nature to the mix, well- some things don't work out and I take even longer to get things done…

I want help but… I can't ask my grandfather, he's too old and fragile to help- not to mention, retired… I of course wouldn't dare ask my mother, she is- not herself… She needs rest and need time to herself… Even after weeks of Natalie's accident, she is still worried sick about her… She doesn't go see Natalie though… I think the reason she doesn't is because she is afraid that she would cry nonstop and lose her calm nature… Once she is in a rage, it's very hard to stop her. People think my grandfather can be pushy when he's upset about something- they haven't seen how my mother can get though…

As for me, I continue to see my sister at least once a day. Sometimes I will be in the middle of work and I'll stop to go see her real quick. Every time I visit, I can see that she is annoyed with me, but I ignore her face expression and ask how she's doing and things of the like. After seeing her for a few minutes, I would go back to work- most likely… Usually when I visit her, no matter what time, Pierre would be there as well. Lucky me… If he's there, he has some strange ability on her to not throw a rage at me, and she makes fun of me a little less while he's there… Well, she says less hurtful things at least…

I sighed.

"_Mark told me that Pierre got hurt at the festival…_"

When he told me a few days ago about it, I decided not to see her that day… I didn't think it was wise to see her… I don't know Natalie that well (even though she is my sister), but I know her well enough. Whenever I do come and see her, Pierre would there as I mentioned before… And when he is there, she has this strange look on her face… At first, I didn't recognize it, and when I thought it looked like happiness- I didn't believe it. My sister? Happy? Nah, can't be her, has to be some clone of her in that bed. Of course, I was wrong with that theory (I really rather believe in that then to admit that my sister looked happy) when she continued her endless teasing of my lack of skills and my clumsiness and so on… So yeah, that's Natalie in the bed; it's just a different side of her that I haven't seen before…

So, what does that have to do with me not visiting her anymore (for at least awhile)? Well, if she is happy when Pierre is visiting her to talk to her and such- what would she be like when he is hurt? Not good and will most likely be ruder towards me… Best to leave her alone until I hear from Mark (or another) that he is fine… Then I will visit here again…

I looked at the clock on the wall again- it read 10:20AM this time.

"_I've been daydreaming enough… Time to get to work…_"

I picked up an empty small crate, ready to stop by Denny's place first. His fish is the easiest to pack and ship. To add on to that, since he lives on the beach, it's easy to put the crate onto the ship. So of course I am willing to ship his stuff first**_(1)_**.

Just as I opened the door to head out, I was greeted by Mark. His hand was raised halfway, most likely getting ready to knock on the door. I almost dropped the crate in alarm; after all, he did scare me a bit. But, I caught the crate in time before it hit the ground, but the glasses on my face moved, making them tilt. One side of my glasses on my eye, the other side of it practically reaching my forehead.

"He-Hey Mark! You scared me there…!"

He chuckled nervously and said, "Sorry about that. Didn't mean to do that…"

I looked at him in surprise. Usually Mark wouldn't come see me this early… He would usually see me around noon or late in the afternoon, but almost never so early in the morning… Something must be wrong… Oh Goddess…!

"Mark… You're not here to tell me bad news about- Pierre or Natalie… Are you?"

He quickly shook his head and I sighed in relief.

"No I uh… Just came to talk real quick is all…"

The way he said 'talk' didn't sound right… In fact, he said with a more serious tone to it… This talk he wanted to have with me wasn't the usual chat about random stuff…

"Come in and have a seat."

He walked pass me and took a seat at the table. I closed the door with my foot and I put the empty crate onto the ground, blocking the door. I fixed my glasses and then I joined Mark at the table.

"So… What do you want to talk about?"

Mark sighed and then he slid his hand over his face. Maybe he is having second thoughts talking to me? But, why would he? I'm his best friend. I should know what's going on- right?

"Well… I wanted to tell you that I'm planning to talk to Chelsea today…"

I gave him a confused look. Okay…? Is that abnormal? He sees her everyday at his ranch and throughout the day I'm sure.

"Mark… Are you trying to say something?"

He looked down at his hands, which were on the table, and he kept fidgeting with the gloves on his hands. I saw his eyes shifting around, not fast as if he didn't want to be caught due to him doing something bad… But, he looked nervous. It looked like he didn't want to say whatever is on his mind out loud… Like it's too much of a secret to say out loud or to even whisper… What could be so—! Oh no…

"Mark… You're not going to- say what I think you are going to say to her- are you?"

In answer, he drummed his fingers on the table and he avoided making eye contact with me.

"Mark… I may not know everything, but even I have to say that it is a bad idea to be so— straightforward. Most likely she'll feel very awkward after the experience and avoid you… She might even consider leaving the island… Well, maybe that one is a bit too much, but, you never know… Are you sure you want to take this risk?"

He again said nothing; he continued drumming his fingers on the tabletop…

"Mark… I-I don't quite understand… Not even I have said such words to Julia… Maybe you should really think about it…"

He said nothing to me and he still avoided eye contact with me. I sighed.

"Maybe you should take it a little slower…"

Mark gave me a quick glance before he looked away again.

"I-I'm not planning to say what you are thinking… Though, I'll admit that it isn't far from the truth…"

I gave him a confused look of course.

"What are you planning to say to her then?"

He sighed and then said, "Maybe I shouldn't have come here…"

What? Why would he feel that way? I'm his best friend right? He can tell me anything and I won't laugh or do anything immoral like that. He does trust me- doesn't he?

He stood up from his seat and he looked at me, though he still avoided giving me eye contact.

"Yeah, I shouldn't have come here… I'm probably distracting you from your work… I-I got to go…"

He took a few steps toward the door but I grabbed the green rucksack on his back before he could go too far.

"Wait! If something is brothering you, you should tell me… I'm your best friend- remember?"

His back was to me of course, making me not being able to see his face expression to give me an idea of what he might be thinking. He looked down at the ground and sighed, which sounded like one of distress.

"Elliot… I know you're my best friend but… I think this is something I need to think about on my own… I think I need- space…"

I still had a firm grip on his rucksack. I wanted some other type of answer from him, one that is more detailed. I didn't understand exactly what was causing him to act so depressed. I want to help him with his problem or to at least give him some sort of advice that could guide him… Attacking a problem on one's own sometimes doesn't work out. Everyone needs help in their life at least once, so why won't he let me help him now!

"Why won't you let me help you?"

Mark sighed once again.

"Because, this is something that I need to figure out—on my own… You can't help me this time buddy…"

I can't believe that he would think that I can't help him… But, despite what logical reasons my head was thinking, I knew in my heart that he needed to be alone… And this problem that he has, he needs to work it out on his own… Whether I like it or not…

I loosened my grip on his rucksack and he immediately headed towards the door again. Just as his hand touched the doorknob, I said to him, "You'll tell me if you worked it out or not later- right?"

He stood there for a few seconds, though it felt like hours to me, not saying a word to me. I saw him turn his head slightly, towards me, but then he looked straight ahead again. In answer to my question, he opened the door and exit out the house- closing the door gently behind him…

For some odd reason to me, I felt like this would be the last time I would see him talking to me. I felt like after this, he just wouldn't be the same anymore…

* * *

**Vaughn's POV**

As I remember mentioning yesterday, I would have a hard time sleeping… Of course, I did have a hard time sleeping last night… I had to force myself to not scratch myself like crazy. I almost had to urge to get out of bed and bind my hands (or at least one of time) to the bedpost to prevent me from scratching myself… Even though my other hand would be free to do it…

I leaned up in the bed and put the pillow against the headboard. I then relaxed my back into the fluffy pillow and rubbed my eyes. I had a feeling that I would have dark circles under my eyes and the red bumps on my face would still be visible, though probably much smaller then yesterday. I didn't feel itchy much this morning…

I rubbed my fingers against my temples. Most likely I'm late working with the animals. My aunt will most likely wonder where I am. I can hope she won't find me…

Just then, there is a knock on my door. I sighed.

"_Guess she found me…_"

Making sure that I was covered completely by the covers and had my hat on my head, seeing that I was, I then yelled towards the door, "You can come in…"

The door opened and then the person poked their head inside of the room. I frowned at my visitor and almost told her to beat it.

She smiled at me and said, "Good morning Vaughn!"

How could she be so cheery in the morning? Well, it might not be so early now if she's visiting me… Why is she visiting me anyway, shouldn't be seeing that stupid rancher!

She stepped into the room completely and closed the door behind her. I noticed her other hand was hiding behind her back. Instead of me lashing at her to be elsewhere (not to mention, I told her not to bother visiting me), I asked, "What are you hiding behind your back?"

Chelsea simply continued to smile at me and then she approached the bed, being careful to not turn at all in the slightest for me to see the object behind her. Once she was close enough to the bed, she said, "Close your eyes Vaughn…"

"I don't have time for this Chelsea…"

"You have to close your eyes first. Once you do, put your hands in front of you with your palms open, and then I will put the item in your hand."

I sighed in defeat. I did as she asked. Not too long after, I felt something cool touch the palms of my hands, it felt really smooth and hard.

"You can open your eyes now."

I did and I looked at the item in my hands. I then looked at her with a shocked expression on my face. She just smiled at me.

"I-is this porridge**_(2)_**?"

"Try it out…"

I took that answer as a yes. I looked back at the bowl in my hand. The porridge looked like it was cooked to perfection- or very close to it… It looked good… But, it was funny that it didn't feel hot, or rather the bowl didn't feel hot. I couldn't really smell an aroma coming from the bowl either… Not that porridge really does have a smell coming from it, but still.

I picked up the spoon, scooping up some of the food, and then I put the spoon into my mouth. The first thing that I tasted was something sweet and creamy, and I knew what I tasted wasn't porridge… I looked back down at the bowl, taking a closer look at the food. Now that I looked at it more closely, it wasn't exactly porridge… At a quick glance, it can be mistaken as porridge. But if one looks at it closely, one can see that the food looks too smooth and creamier then porridge.

"Chelsea… What exactly is this?"

She looked down at her feet and shuffled her feet around.

"It's rice pudding**_(3)_**… Since I knew you like sweets, or at least it seems like it, milk, and you like porridge… Well, I thought why can't you have it all? So, I made this… Do you like it?"

Wow… All or most anyway, of the things I like, she made it into one… Huh… Why would she work so hard to make this?

"Ye-Yeah…" I told her, not looking at her.

I had another spoonful. It really does taste good. I might start eating this instead of eating porridge.

She smiled at me happily.

"I'm glad to hear that… Are you feeling a little better this morning?"

"If you mean better then yesterday, yeah I am."

"That's good to hear… Pierre still isn't good though… I visited him first before I came here… Natalie seems to be in a slightly better mood, but not by much…"

I decided to change the subject before she becomes too sappy.

"Why did you make this for me?" I asked her.

She looked at me and titled her head to the side slightly.

"It's because you're sick. It's natural that any friend would try to cheer up their sick friend. In this case, you're the sick friend." She said with a smile.

I looked at her in shock. She is telling me that she considers me as a friend? Huh… This island must be weird or something… So far, the only people that I can consider as 'friends' would be Denny and…

"_Now that I think about it, there really isn't anybody else… Mark pisses me off… I don't like that annoying stuttering nerd Elliot… That annoying and somewhat loud pop-star definitely isn't a friend of mine… The child looking gourmet isn't a friend of mine either… And the girl that is currently sick, forced to lie in bed is definitely not my friend… Sabrina is just- weird… And, hell no, Julia isn't really my friend! I'm forced to be related to her somehow, but that's all there is between us… Chelsea would be the only other one…_"

Her voice took me out of my thoughts.

"So, whenever I get sick, you'll be taking care of me!" She said with a smile.

I shook my head at her but I couldn't help but smile.

"I guess that would be fair to do." I said to her.

I ate the last bit of the rice pudding (it really does taste good) and I handed the empty bowl back to her. She took it with both hands.

"So, have been able to do your work today?"

I shook my head.

"I can't take care of the animals in this state. I still have red bumps on my face right?"

She looked at my head, and she brought her head a little closer to mine… A little too close. Close enough that I could see her blue eyes and the tip of my nose… I could also smell her… She had this peppermint smell… I was about to tell her to back up just a little, but she did before I could say anything. I pulled the rim of my hat down to cover the heat that I felt forming on my cheeks.

"Yeah, you still have them on your face… They're hardly noticeable though."

"Maybe it'll be unnoticed to normal people, but Julia isn't exactly normal. She'll be too busy trying to find a way to annoy me. Not just that, I'm late anyway. Aunt Mirabelle will ask for an explanation and Julia will just butt in. Best for me not to come in…"

"So, who is going to take care of the animals?"

I didn't really think about that… But, if I had to, it can be Chelsea…

"Well… You can, that is, if you want to…"

She nodded her head.

"I wouldn't mind! After all, you helped me when I was injured, it would only be fair to do the same."

She turned away from me and ran up to the door. She turned around to face me once more.

"I'll go do that now then."

I can see that you are going to do that now, no need to voice the obvious… Though, something bothered me… I then remembered yesterday…

"Hey Chelsea…"

She stood there, giving me a slight confused look.

"I wanted to know… Are you still planning to see Mark today?" I asked her.

She blinked her eyes at me before she answered.

"I haven't seen Mark at all today now that you mention him… Not even at the ranch this morning… I tried looking for him on the field, but he wasn't there… Not even in the greenhouse or at his house… Well, I knocked on his door to see if he was home, but he didn't answer the door… It's like he is avoiding me or something…"

I didn't need to know that much information and she still didn't exactly answer my question.

"You didn't really answer my question."

"Uh... Well, yeah. I'm still going to see Mark later today."

I scowled at her. I still thought it was stupid of her to go see him, especially at the top of a mountain- at night… Knowing that moron he might end up hurting her- or she might just trip right off the mountain herself…

"_Why is she so- nice!_"

"I already told you my opinion about that. I still think it's stupid of you to go there, especially at night."

"And I already told you that it looked like he wanted to tell me something important and that maybe he wants a little private."

I scoffed at her this time. I somehow highly doubt that he wanted to meet her there to discuss something private.

I saw her put her hand on her hips.

"What exactly is your problem? Why are you getting so mad?"

"I'm mad because you're putting yourself into danger."

She rolled her eyes at me… I don't believe this…

"Mark is harmless Vaughn. Plus, he doesn't seem to be the violent type."

"_You have no idea what you are talking about…_"

"Maybe it's not him exactly that I am worried about! What about the dangerous animals that hangs around there? What will that damn rancher do then!"

She frowned at me at first, but then I saw her face change into slight realization, as if she recalled something.

"Well… You're right about the dangerous animal part… But, I'm sure Mark knows that too… I'll just bring my rucksack with my fishing spear in it this time..."

"_This time? What does that mean?_"

I voiced my thoughts out loud to her. She shook her head.

"Never mind what I said about that… Nothing important…"

I glared at her. She's hiding something obviously, but for some reason doesn't want to share it with me. I scoffed at her and waved my hand at her, signaling her to leave.

"Just leave. You want to see that damn rancher so bad, just go!"

"I will!"

She turned towards the door and opened it. She left the room and slammed the door behind her. I just scowled at her retreating form. Though, not too long after, I felt a little guilty for yelling at her—once again…

But still, I can't help but be a _little_ pissed off. How could you tell someone that you won't trust them as much, and then turn around and see said person at night at a dangerous location?

"_Maybe I should sneak up there and watch…?_"

"_To get caught and to be labeled as a possible stalker? You want her to put a restraining order on you or something?_" My conscience replied to me.

That sounds more like something Mark would convince Chelsea to do… Chelsea on the other hand wouldn't do it unless she is convinced… Maybe…

I shook my head, deciding to not to think about it anymore. I should be worried as any normal person would be, but I shouldn't be so worried that I'm telling her (or more like ordering if seen in a different perspective) that she can't see someone…

Even though I erased any thoughts about their meeting, it still made me feel- pissed off…

* * *

**Julia's POV**

"_Elliot hasn't seen me today at all…_"

He would usually see me around this time to pick up any supplies that need to be shipped off… But, he hasn't shown up yet… Wonder what's keeping him?

Just then, the door opens and the bell above it chimes. I looked towards the door eagerly, expecting Elliot to be there. To my disappointment, it turned out to be Chelsea.

Don't get me wrong! I like Chelsea, but I still want to see my Elliot…

Chelsea stomped pass the counter, not even acknowledging my presence.

"Hey Chel-"

She exits out of the backdoor that led to the barn and the door closed behind her.

"-sea…?" I finished.

Well, she is obviously not in a good mood. I wonder what's wrong… Furthermore… Why is she going in the back to take care of the animals today? That's Vaughn….

I smiled as the answer hit me.

"_Oh! So she's mad because the two obviously got into an argument about something, and she's here to cool down!_"

I shook my head a little. This thing going on between them is so cute (despite Vaughn being my cousin- I'm not saying he's cute though)! I'll cool her down once she comes back.

Only about an hour later (shouldn't have taken her that long though), she came back from the backdoor. I noticed that she didn't look upset anymore.

"Woah! That was fun!" She said, going back to her usual demeanor.

I looked at her, giving her puppy eyes.

"Chelsea… You didn't say anything to me when you came in… Did I do something wrong?"

She shook her head and gave me an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry Julia… I didn't mean to ignore you like that… And no, you did nothing wrong."

"Oh!" I said, pretending to be surprised.

"Then why did you look so mad? Did someone make you mad?"

She looked down at the floor and sighed. I may have an idea who did it, but I still want to hear it from her.

"Yeah, someone else made me a little upset…"

"Who?" I asked her again.

"Vaughn…" She said.

I was right on target!

"What did my cousin do now?"

"Well… I told him that I was going to see Mark tonight at the top of the mountain and he got all angry about it…"

I covered my mouth to cover the smile on my face. Mr. Grumpy Cousin is getting jealous is he? I'm going to remember this! Wait… Did she say she is going to see Mark tonight at the mountain?

"You said you're meeting Mark tonight there?"

She nodded her head in reply.

"Why does he want you to go there at night? Why not meet him at his house or at the Diner or something like that?"

She shrugged her shoulders at me.

"I don't know why there- and at night… I think he wants to tell me something important…"

"Are you saying he didn't give you the reason why?"

She nodded her head again.

"Chelsea… I trust Mark as much as you do, but maybe you should ask him why he wants to meet you there and not elsewhere. It can be dangerous there you know…"

"Well… I did try to see him earlier today at work, but he wasn't there… I tried his house and I checked the fields, but he wasn't at either places. It's like he is avoiding me… At least, until later tonight…"

"Avoiding you huh…?"

I had to think about it. Why would he be avoiding Chelsea? Well, I guess he would be nervous about meeting her later tonight but still… I shrugged my shoulders. I guess he wants to tell Chelsea something so private that he wants to be sure that nobody else would hear his words… It does sound far-fetched, but it's the only thing that makes a little sense…

"Well, I guess you'll have to wait and see in a few more hours…"

She nodded her head in reply. I sighed and looked towards the door- still no Elliot… Maybe his work load is a lot today… I looked back at Chelsea.

"Did you eat yet?"

She shook her head of course.

"Well, how about we go to the kitchen and whip up something to eat. I'm starving…"

She again nodded her head and turned to go towards the kitchen. I came from behind the counter and walked over to the kitchen area as well.

"Meanwhile, you can tell me why Vaughn didn't show up to do his job today."

She shook her head and giggled a little.

"If I told you, he'll literally kill me."

"Then I guess I'll have to beat him up later for the answer." I replied.

She laughed again.

In my own opinion, Vaughn needs someone that is happy like her… If he does have a thing for Chelsea (which I think he does), I'll approve of his choice… And tease him along the way of course.

* * *

**Denny's POV**

I looked up into the sky, trying to guess what time it is. I wouldn't have a watch because I go out into the ocean and it's dangerous to have an electrical item out there… Sure, I could get one that is waterproof, but those cost a lot of gold…

"_It looked like it might be 5PM, maybe a little later…?_"

I looked back at my fishing pole, which is currently casted in the ocean.

"The fish aren't biting much today…" I said to myself.

Elliot already collected the fish I got earlier, which wasn't much, but maybe I can give him a few at the last minute…

"I hope I can catch an Angler Fish**_(4)_**…"

They are pretty hard to catch and I won't keep it (because they are rare, I don't want to destroy their species), but the thrill of catching them is what makes me excited!

I then heard footsteps behind me, or rather, the shuffling of the sand from the person moving. I looked behind me and smiled at the visitor.

"Yo Vaughn! How are you doing?"

He stopped beside me and looked down at me from his standing position.

"It's the same… Nothing changed."

I grinned at him.

"Same stuff? Well, why don't you do something about it? You can make a change if you wanted to."

He shook his head.

"I like everything the way it is. I'll move on when I want to."

I shrugged my shoulders at him.

"Change happens all around us, whether we want it to or not. We just have to know about it and either accept it or not."

He shook his head again.

"Must you always do this?"

I shrugged my shoulders at him again.

"I just like to talk is all. I know you don't like it much, but complete silence can be creepy sometimes."

"Too much conversation can lead to getting a headache. Not to mention, talking too much can also lead to trouble. Depending on what one says, another can hear it and report it to another. Basically blackmail… Is that enough conversation for you?"

I blinked at him and then I chuckled.

"Yeah, I guess so."

I looked at my pole again, still not one tug on it… Fish must be scarce today…

"So… Ready to go back to the city once again?"

"Not really looking forward to it, but I have no choice."

I shook my head, not looking at him though.

"Why don't you move here then? It'll make your job easier for sure."

I felt his eyes on the back of my neck.

"I didn't know I had a pot of gold hidden somewhere." He said, being sarcastic.

I still chuckled though.

"Well, don't look at me. I don't have a treasure chest in my shack or hidden away somewhere on the beach."

He didn't chuckle or say anything clever to me. I looked up at him from my sitting position.

"Hey… Something bothering you Vaughn?"

He said nothing, but I could tell something was bothering him. I had an idea what- or rather who- upset him…

I pulled my fishing rod from the sea, now positive that I wouldn't get one single bite today. I stood up and stretched before I faced him.

"Let me guess… Chelsea?"

He only looked down in reply, the shadow of his hat covering his eyes. I shook my head.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'… Need advice?"

He scowled, though I wasn't sure if it was towards me or not…

"Even if I did want your so called 'advice', it won't really help…"

"Well… You can't be sure unless you tell me right?"

He sighed in defeat.

"If you must know… Chelsea is going to visit Mark tonight at the mountain… I gave her my own opinion on the issue. To cut a long story short, she basically pissed me off for not even considering my advice. She is still going to see him…"

Well, I'm confused… But, I can take a guess… I guess Vaughn is telling me that Mark asked Chelsea to meet him at the mountain top tonight. I doubt that Chelsea would ask Mark to meet her there, she is more open. Mark is open as well, but on certain things he keeps to himself. He tries to do things himself first, and then he'll seek help… Mark is more- independent I guess would be the word…

"What's his reason to meet him there?"

"I don't know, and neither does Chelsea. Which was why I thought it was a bad idea for her to go, but she doesn't listen to me." He said, both of his hands making a quick motion upward.

It's technically her choice… I can understand his frustration though, I would be a little worried too…

"Well, if you are concerned about her, you can come back tomorrow early and ask her. If she is hurt or anything like that, then you can go beat up Mark."

He looked at me in surprise.

"You are supporting me to beat him up…?"

I nodded my head without hesitation.

"Well yeah… It'll be his fault this time if harm comes to her. The mountain top is dangerous to be at… Falling off the edge is no joke…"

"Don't say that out loud! Be-before you curse her or something…!"

I gave him a skeptical look. I thought he didn't believe in superstitions. Well, at least he doesn't seem like he does…

"Okay… I won't… Anyway, just come on by tomorrow to check on her."

He said nothing to that. I held back the sigh I wanted to do.

"I'll even go with you- uh, if you want…"

"That's not it… It's just that I don't want to come here because I am being paranoid… She might think I'm crazy or something…"

"Don't you care what happens to Chelsea?"

He looked at me; his eyes open real wide with this expression on his face.

"I-I uh… I worry about her safety, but that's it…!"

He looked away from me and pulled his hat down slightly. I shook my head and chuckle, just loud enough for me to hear.

"Well, if you want, I'll tell you tomorrow if she is okay or not… Got a phone number?"

He nodded his head quickly. I saw one of his eyes peek at me from under his hat, a serious face expression, a glare look.

"Repeat this phone number to anybody and I'll literally kill you."

I think he's being serious. If it wasn't for the way he was looking at me, with the hat and all covering his other eye, I wouldn't have taken his words seriously. But, that look… Better take him seriously…

I nodded my head in reply.

"Good… My phone number is-"

* * *

**Chelsea's POV**

I waved goodbye to Julia and Mirabelle as I left the shop. It was time for me to meet Mark at the mountain top… And for some reason, I felt nervous…

As I said earlier today, I haven't seen Mark at all today…

"_What happens if he isn't there or he comes late?_"

I sighed and try to think of something else that would unnerve me. I decided to think of what Julia said to me…

"_You tell me what he said to you tomorrow, okay!_" Julia had whispered to me before I left the shop.

Well, that didn't really help…

I looked forward again, and realized I was almost there… Well, I'll just have to be not nervous and see if he is there… Or rather hope he isn't there… Maybe he changed his mind to meet me?

I finally reached the top of the mountain, and of course Mark was already there… He was standing close to the edge and he was looking down. At first, I thought he was looking down at the scenery (there's nothing there but trees and a long fall), but then I noticed one of his hands wasn't by his side. One of his arms was bent in a certain angle, most likely in front of his face. I'm guessing he is looking at something in his hand.

I was about to get his attention, but he turned around before I could. As if he sensed me. He smiled at me lightly and said, "Hello Chelsea…"

He faced me completely and then he walked up to me. He stopped about a foot away from me.

"Hey Mark… So uh… You said you wanted to talk to me… So, not that I want to be rude, but- what is it?"

He walked up to me a little closer, now only an arm length away from me- my own arm length…

One of his hands came up, stopping in front of my face. I looked down at his hand, and he was holding a pendant… Avery beautiful pendant… It was a beautiful dark blue color… I thought I saw movement inside of it… So, I bring my face closer to the pendant, and I saw the most beautiful thing in my life (or one of the most beautiful things anyway). There were other colors inside of it, swirling together, all moving together in tune. It was mesmerizing…

"Mark… What exactly is this?" I asked, not taking my eyes off of it.

I'm not usually a jewelry girl, I hardly wear any, but I loved the look of the pendant he was showing me…

I finally looked away from it, pulling my head back, to look at him. He smiled at me lightly again and he looked down at the pendant himself.

"This pendant is a gift from my father back at home…"

I looked at him in surprise. He never mentioned his family to me- or indicated that he even had one (that are still alive I mean)! Well, I haven't talked about my parents either, so I guess he's the same…

"This pendant is very special to me Chelsea… My father gave it to me so that I can pass it down to the next generation…"

"_Next generation…?_"

I had to think about it, and then what he said to me hit me. He continued.

"He had no choice but to give it to me… My mother couldn't give it to me…"

"_What…? Doesn't the pendant get handed down to the son of the next family? Why did his mother have it?_"

"My father told me that the son in every generation gives away the pendant to the person they marry… Their wife in other words…"

For the second time, I looked at him in surprise. Now it made sense…

"My father gave this to my mother on the day of their wedding, as past generations have done, once the vows and such were exchanged… Once he gave the pendant to her, it's basically hers. She doesn't give it away until the son in the family is old enough… But…."

He suddenly stopped, and I saw him swallow a lump in his throat… It looked like it was difficult for him to continue… I wouldn't blame him… I had a feeling where he was going with it… I was about to tell him that he doesn't have to tell me, but he continued before I could.

"But… She died… She died due to a disease called 'Chronic fatigue syndrome**_(5)_**'…"

The disease name itself didn't sound so dangerous to me. As if he read my mind, he again lightly smiled at me, but it was a depressed type of smile- not one of happiness.

"Sounds harmless right? Yeah, I wouldn't blame you… My mom always said that she was tired and that all she needed to do was rest… She would say so at least once every day…"

He turned away from me, looking beyond the mountain before he continued his story.

"At first it seemed like it was true that all she needed was rest… But, as time went on, she started to get tired more easily, even after doing one task of writing… My father and I were worried about her health and we suggested that maybe she should see a doctor… She told us both that she just felt tired and she'll be fine once she had a nap… Again, it seemed that way… But one day… We had to go to the store to get groceries… We usually go together but, my mom said she felt tired- very tired… My father wanted to send me to the store alone and try to get just some things… But, my mom argued that I was too young… So, after much convincing from her, my father and I left the house…"

He again stopped. He looked down at the ground, his back to me still… He really doesn't have to tell me this… I wouldn't want to share such information with anyone… Not even to my own best friends… He sighed and continued with his tragic story.

"When we returned, my father yelled into the house that we were back… When there was no reply, we thought she was still sleeping… So, we both went to go check on her… I remember that as soon as I stepped into my parent's room, I just _knew_ something was wrong… Something didn't feel right… And I had a feeling that my father knew something was wrong as well… My father ran up to the side of the bed to see what might be wrong with her… I saw him hover a few of his fingers over her nose and mouth… His eyes widened so wide, I've never seen him do that before… And then he put his head on her chest, where her heart is… I didn't know what he was doing at the time, but I did notice that while she was sleeping… Her chest wasn't moving up and down- at all… I already knew what was wrong before my dad stood back up straight and told me himself… Well, he told me that she in a deep sleep, but, I knew what he really meant…"

I had bitten my lip and I was on the verge of tears. I didn't know Mark had such a horrible experience… He doesn't seem like the type that had such a thing that happened to him… He is always, or at least most of the time, happy…

I noticed that he was shaking a little. It was obvious due to the emotions going through him… I felt like it was my fault for making him remember such memories, for forcing him to make such memories resurface from the dark depths of his mind to tell them to me… I wanted to leave… But, I felt that it wasn't wise to do it, he needs a little company right now… Also, I wanted to know why he is telling me this… He hardly knows me!

"My father asked me to leave the room… He didn't come out of that room for many hours… He didn't come out of the room until early the next morning… But, I didn't sleep that day either… I stayed up the whole time, waiting for him to come out…"

He sighed and turned to face me. I saw his green eyes… For the first time since I have met him, Mark looked very weary, and… I can't believe that I am saying this, but he looked- older then he let on… He looked at least 5 more years older…

"We didn't know about the disease until later, when she was examined by a medical corner… My father blamed himself for not making her go to the doctor anyway; she could have been cured… My father wasn't the same after that, he looked sad all of the time and he hardly played with me or took me out anywhere… I was sad too, but… I tried to get over it- at least a little…"

I heard him chuckle, just a little, but it sounded forced…

"I remember asking my dad one day if he was going to leave me too unexpected… He told me that he would _never_ do that… From that day on, my father was normal again or at least, as close as he can be… He still spaced out sometimes…"

He looked at the pendant in his hand.

"And so far, he has kept that promise…"

I looked at the pendant as well, from where I stood.

"That pendant means a lot to you…"

He nodded his head in agreement and then he smiled, his sad memories fading hopefully…

"This pendant is very old and it does mean a lot to me… As it does to my father, his own father, and so on… The history of this pendant is unbelievable…"

He looked at me once again.

"You see, there is this large and old book back at home on this pendant… The whole history of it… Who it was passed down to, a few events of what happened throughout their lives and things of that nature…. Not all of it is in writing, some of the family members couldn't write, so they drew pictures instead… But, it still tells a great story…"

He sighed sadly.

"The day my mother died… I wish I had of told her how much I loved her… I think my father said it to her before we left to go to the store, but I know I didn't…"

He shook his head slightly and smiled at me. He lifted his hand with the pendant in it, towards me, and said, "Would you like to hold it?"

I nodded my head. He gave it to me and I took it with delicate fingers… The thing not only looked pretty, it felt- warm… It was like I was feeling all of the other hands that touched it. I felt like I was feeling all of the history through it myself. I felt the love in the families it was passed down to; I felt the happiness, the sadness, the anger, the laughter- all of those emotions and more- I _felt _it. I never thought it was possible to feel things from the past through an inanimate object, but that is what I felt just by touching it… And I felt like I didn't deserve to touch such an item… Such a beautiful item that had all of these things locked within it… Such personal feelings…

"Mark… Why are you telling me these things? Why are you making me touch such a- valuable item?" I asked him, looking at him again.

He did a half smile at me and said, "Because…. I trust you Chelsea… I _really_ do… Just like you trust me… Right?"

I would usually immediately say 'No' because of what he did… But, after this, it's very hard to be mad at him for such a small matter…

I smiled at him back lightly and said, "Of course I do."

He smiled at me, happily.

"I'm glad to hear that Chelsea…"

Then his smile faded and he looked a little worried about something… He looked away from me, his green eyes shifting to the side… I saw him bite his bottom lip, as if he was nervous or something. He looked at me again and I couldn't look away from him…

I saw one of his hands, now noticing that they were gloveless, and he caressed the side of my cheek gently… His hands felt rough enough, telling me that he is definitely a hard worker.

"_What is he doing?_"

"You want to know what else is kind of funny Chelsea?"

I didn't answer nor nod my head in reply. He continued anyway.

"All of the women that inherited this pendant throughout the generations- had blue eyes Chelsea… Just like the pendant… Even my own mother had blue eyes…"

"I-I don't understand Mark…"

I really didn't… He was confusing me, and he was- scaring me a little.

He gave me this somewhat serious look.

"Chelsea… I want to ask you properly then do it without asking and regret it later… But… Can I- kiss you…"

I looked at him with wide eyes. I was surprised and my mouth almost said 'yes' without thinking… But, I held back and thought about it… Or rather, I looked within my heart… And I already knew that I didn't like him in that form… I like Mark, sure, but not in that form…

Even now, when I am looking at his eyes, I didn't have any feelings towards him… Not in that form at least… Though his eyes are practically begging me to say what he wants to hear… A three letter word, all of his begging going into just a word…

Why did I almost give him permission to kiss me? Well because I think I feel sorry for him… I don't want to say 'yes' because I feel sorry for him… And I have a feeling that he wouldn't like me doing that either… I just can't…

I gave him a sad look before I said, "No…"

I felt like my answer echoed and that others heard my answer many miles away. I felt like there were people throwing things at me for being so heartless and others that cheered me on or think that he doesn't deserve anything from me… I felt like I was in a trap… Why must he have feelings for me- why!

Instead of him frowning or even looking sad, he smiled at me… It wasn't a wide one, but it was still a smile.

"I understand…" He said.

I bit my bottom lip and I held the pendant up to him.

"I'm sorry… I just- can't let you do that…"

He nodded his head as he took the pendant back… I really wish he didn't ask me to meet him here… I wish he didn't tell me the story of the pendant… I have a feeling that I'm the only one that knows about the history of it…

"But if you want… You can hug me…"

He put the pendant on his neck, hiding it behind his undershirt. He looked at me and asked me, "Really? Are you sure?"

I nodded my head. He at least deserved that much- right?

He took up on my offer as he wrapped his arms around me. He held me against him so tight… It was as if he didn't want to let me go at all… I felt his head bury onto the top of my head…

"_He'll be okay- right?_"

* * *

**Mark's POV**

I had a feeling that she would say that to me… I just had that feeling… But, as always, I am optimistic and have to at least have a little hope… But after this…

"_Well… She knows how I feel now…_"

At least, she knows my feelings for her a little… She doesn't know what pain I am going through… She doesn't know that her image haunts me in my dreams, both in my sleeping and waking state. She doesn't know that when I see her, I feel like everything would be fine, despite what dilemma I might be in. She doesn't know that when I hear her, I take every word that she says as being important- even if it's not. She doesn't know that when she is near me, my heart feels like it's going to burst. She doesn't know that every time she touches me (in an appropriate way!) my skin burns and that I don't want to wash that area just to keep her presence there for as long as I can- and her smell… She doesn't know about these things… And she definitely doesn't know that every time I look at my pendant- that all I see are her eyes…

"_Chelsea… You have no idea what you have done to me…_"

I decided to let her go, even though I wanted to stay in that position forever, but all things come to an end…

I turned away from her and I walked to the edge of the mountain. I looked out at the sky, seeing the stars, trying my best to bring my mind to the happier times in my life… But, it was so hard to do… How can I concentrate when I feel like my whole world just crumbled into nothing?

"Mark… You're not going to… Jump off the cliff, are you?"

She sounded concern and very serious with her question. I couldn't turn to look at her, so I kept my back to her when I answered.

"I'm not Chelsea… Believe me…" I said, making sure to sound positive with my answer.

She said nothing to that, so she must believe me…

"_Why me?_"

This pain that I am feeling after rejection… This pain is ripping me apart. It hurts so much that I want to cry and shout to get rid of this pain… Jumping off the mountain seems like a good idea too… When I land at the bottom there- which pain would be greater? My broken bones or my heart? My body feels so painful that I want to just melt away and never be called back…

Chelsea… More than just a friend to me, I somehow always knew that… I want to be the one that protects her from harm. I want her to be beside me, because I feel like that I can face anything in the world. She not only makes the world glow with her warmth, but she makes my world glow too! I want to be part of her history and I want her to be part of mine! I want to be the one that is there to ease any pain or sadness that she endures! And I will live forever just to accomplish that!

If I didn't realize it then… I realize it now, more than ever… I love Chelsea… So much that it hurts…

I know I love her and care for her. When I look into her eyes, I feel some force hit my heart. And this force hasn't gone away, nor will it ever in a million years. If she is every lonely, I know I will be there for her in a flash, because I would just know to be there!

I want to be there for everything… But, she doesn't want me to… Even though I am sending signals to her through my heart, she doesn't feel them… Sure, she didn't really tell me out loud, but she doesn't need to… I already know…

I felt myself slowly falling into some unknown darkness; I don't think I'll be the same… How can I be?

"Mark…"

I heard her say my name, but I still felt myself falling into this darkness within myself… I have never fallen this deep before- not even when my mother died… I'm fading fast…

"I'm still thinking about it…"

Hearing those words, made me stop in my path of falling through this delusional darkness- though it feels very real to me.

"Wh-what?" I said to her, realizing that my voice sounded flat, emotionless.

I was confused; she was making me feel lost, more than ever. Is she saving me- or is she just delaying me?

"I'm talking about winter Mark… I'm still thinking about it you know…"

Winter…? And through the darkness that I was more than halfway in, I saw a small thin line of light… This line that I see is glowing bright enough for me to see it, but not bright enough to destroy the darkness around me.

I see myself grabbing the line of light, and I hold on to it tight, making an oath to never let go. What does this line of light stand for? I think it stands for hope… This little line of hope, I still have it… And Chelsea has given me this line of hope… Even though it is a thin line of hope, it is hope none-the-less…

I heard footsteps, and I heard them fading away in the distance… She most likely left me, so that I can be alone…

Alone… Will that be the only word I will know in the future or will I overcome it?

I decided to push anymore negative thoughts out of my mind and focus only on this line of light I had gripped in my hand…

I then realized that I depended on this line of light… If I let it go, I will fall into darkness again, fighting the darkness on my own- and I know I won't be able to win… Or rather, I won't fight it anymore…

I feel so confused, uneasy, and I am on the verge of tears that I held on to for so long! But, I'm making a new oath…! I will use this hope of light to not only help myself, but to make sure that Chelsea will be okay too! I have to remember about that 'omen', and I can't let anything happen to her! Because if something does happen to her, this line of light- will mean nothing to me…!

"_… That line of hope you have…. Will most likely be broken… All you need to do- is accept the truth and stop lying to yourself… All you have is a plain string that is black, with it connecting to the darkness… She's not going to return your feelings- ever…_" My conscience said to me.

And for some reason, I couldn't argue with it…

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**SPRING 30TH – MONDAY**

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**Pierre's POV**

"_Ugh… I feel so stiff…_"

My eyes tighten together harder, even though they were already closed… But, I opened my eyes anyway… Wait... I can open my eyes!

The first thing that greeted me was the bright light in the room- or is it the sun? But, it felt _so_ good! Something new then the eternal darkness that I have seen for- many days I assume!

I then tried to do the next thing, move my arms. It was difficult to do, since they felt so heavy and stiff, but I was able to move them.

"I can move!"

It took me a moment to realize that I said that _out loud_!

"I can talk!"

I then leaned up from the laying position I'm in, and I was able to do it!

The last thing I tried to do was move my legs. I was able to move them a little, but then I felt really tired… Guess I have to try that again later…

Just then, the door opened and in walks- or rather rolls in, the person occupied in a wheelchair- Natalie!

"_I must be dreaming… She's not in the bed anymore!_"

I looked at her in surprise. She didn't know I was up- yet… She was looking down. But, she then looked up towards the bed, where I am at, and she froze in her spot- shock clearly on her face. There is nothing but silence between us.

I waved at her sheepishly.

"Hey Natalie…"

She said nothing to me, but her face returned to a blank face expression. She rolls the wheelchair that she is sitting in up to the bed. I expected a nice greeting from her- and I end up getting a smack to the back of my head- hard… Which hurt!

"Ouch!" I shouted in pain.

I should have known- this is Natalie I'm talking about, not some other girl.

"You're lucky that is all I can do! I can't kick you because I need to stay in this wheelchair!"

I shook my head at her. I looked at the wheelchair she was in more closely, and that is when I realized that there was this somewhat large metal thing attached to her back reaching the top of her head.

"Uh… What is that on your back?"

"It's some object that is supposed to help my back stay straight so that it can develop properly… It also prevents me from moving very much, if at all."

I smiled at her.

"Well, it's a good thing that you can move now. At least you're not fasten to the bed anymore."

She nodded her head in agreement. She then pointed to the table.

"Chelsea came by earlier due to it being 'Fun Monday', as Mark would put it, to drop off something for you and me. She was surprised to see me up and about as well… It seems that it's Chelsea going around now to hand out the gifts… It looks like Mark doesn't do it anymore…"

I saw her face scrunch a little, most likely thinking the same thing as me- why isn't Mark doing it anymore?

I looked towards the table, making a mental note to myself to find out later about Mark. On the table, as Natalie mentioned, was a slice of a pie! I think it's apple pie…

"Natalie, can you get that for me? I can't quite move my legs yet. They're still- stiff…"

She nodded her head, rolled her wheelchair to the table and got the plate for me. She brings it to me, an expert with her movements in the wheelchair. I eagerly take the dish from her. But, before I took a spoon out of my hidden pocket (I smell clean too- who washed me while I was in coma?), I asked her, "Is it okay for me to eat this? My stomach won't react to it negatively- would it?"

"Dr. Trent approved of the item. He didn't know you would wake up today, but he figured that if you did, it'll be a nice surprise for you… So, yeah, you can eat it."

Thank goodness! I want to be able to taste food again! Just by me looking at the slice of pie, I can practically taste the soft, brown, crust and the sweet apples in it- and other flavors!

I took a spoon out of a hidden pocket and I sliced a small piece of it, putting the whole bite into my mouth with a hungry look.

That's when something felt- wrong… I know I'm chewing the bite, but, I don't taste anything…

"_Okay…Don't panic… Maybe my taste buds need a little time…_"

So, without doing anything… I waited for a few more minutes, complete silence around me. I could see Natalie giving me a look, a hint of concern in her eyes. She most likely noticed that I didn't react to the pie, no comments coming from my mouth at all- good or bad…

I put it in another piece into my mouth to taste the pie… Sadly, I didn't taste anything, not even the taste of something sweet lingered from the last bite!

I felt my dreams being crushed…

"Pierre? Why aren't you commenting on the food?"

I couldn't hear her, I wasn't focusing on her right now… I'm too busy trying to see what my future will be like now…

"_Future…? What future?_"

I'm positive I mentioned what my career dreams were- right? I also mentioned that I love being a gourmet- right?

"_Without my taste buds… What does that make me?_"

I can't fulfill my dreams like this… I can't even keep my current job of being a gourmet…!

So now, my dreams are now only that- just dreams… I have to forget it and move on to- what?

Without my dream, I have no soul. Without my soul, I have no hope. Without hope, I am left in the dark. With only darkness to greet me, I feel empty… So, what does that make me?

I am nothing.

**_TO BE CONTINUED…_**

* * *

**BONUS**

* * *

**Title:** **_Mark's Problem_**

**By:** kitty868theonly

**Rating:** K; Even a little kid could read this…

**Type of Story:** Harvest Moon: Island Of Happiness; Mark; **Oneshot (Mark's POV)**; Humor.

**Quick Summary:** Mark has this problem, a problem that can be a problem and a nuisance sometimes… What's his problem? His problem is that he keeps agreeing to do favors for people, even if it's too much for him to handle alone. In other words, he has a hard time saying 'No' to things. So, he seeks help, will he be able to fix this problem?

**Character's Presented (in Order of Appearance): **Mark, Vaughn, Lanna, Chen, Pierre, and Chelsea.

**Started On & Completed Date:** November 22, 2009

**Total Pages:** 05

**WARNING:** This oneshot has **_NOTHING_** to do with the story above. This one was created just for 'balance' between sadness and happiness- I think...

* * *

**Mark's POV**

I have a serious problem… I didn't realize it until yesterday… What happened yesterday? Well yesterday, a few people came up to me asking for favors…

The first one to visit me, early in the morning, was Denny. He asked me if I could ship some of the fish that he caught and to give him the money ASAP when it came. Since his mailbox was broken, he can't earn his money! I agreed to do it for him. After all, Denny needs money as much as I do.

The second one to see me, asking for a favor was my best friend Elliot. He asked me if I could cover for him tonight because he is going on a date with Julia. He didn't want to cancel it because they've been waiting for awhile for such a moment. I agreed to do it. After all, he works hard and deserves a break; not to mention, he is my best friend.

The third person to come see me was Natalie. She asked me if I could deliver a dish that she made to Pierre. She told me she couldn't do it because she had some unfinished work to do. I agreed. After all, she has unfinished work to do.

The fourth person to ask me for a favor was Gannon. He asked me if I could chop up some lumber for him. He couldn't do it today because his daughter, Eliza, was sick. So, he wanted to stay inside of the house all day, limiting himself to do only 'house work'. He told me he needed at least 500 pieces of lumber so that he could build a table for someone. He needed it by that night. I agreed. After all, a sick child comes first then work. If I was in his position, I would have done the same thing.

The last person to see me was Charlie. He asked me if I could fix something for him. He couldn't do it himself because his father would get mad at him for being irresponsible. He told me he needed it done by tonight, he'll drop by later to pick up the item. I agreed. After all, someone as kind as Charlie shouldn't be punished for something he did by accident.

Notice a pattern? In all of them, I agreed to do each task. What's wrong with that? Well, I piled myself up with all of those tasks when many of them needed to be done at the same time. But, lucky for me, I was able to do all of those tasks- just barely…

So, as of right now, I need professional help… Help from someone that doesn't have a hard time saying 'no' to things. I need someone who doesn't ask me for favors. Someone who doesn't care what people think… The answer hit me, and I already dreaded seeing the person…

* * *

"Hey Vaughn…"

He looked at me in surprise, and then he looked around, as if he wasn't sure if the greeting really came from me or not. It was just me and him inside of the shop. Julia and Mirabelle must be elsewhere and left Vaughn to watch the shop for once, though he was sitting on a stool in front of the counter...

He finally faced me again and said, "What do you want?"

Straight to the point, makes it easier for me.

"I wanted to know if-"

"No." He said, before I could even finish.

"You didn't even let me finish."

"Whatever it is, it's 'no'."

"Are you sure about that?"

He said nothing to that, so I continued.

"As I was saying… I wanted to know if you can help me with a certain situation."

"Why can't you ask your nerdy friend for help?"

Nerdy? Does he mean Elliot? Figures…

"He can't really help me this time… He might not understand… You're the best candidate for the job anyway…"

He frowned at me a bit.

"What 'job' are you talking about?"

"Well… It's not really a job per say… It's more like a… To put it more simply, I need help fixing a certain problem that I have…"

He sighed, but said nothing. I took that as an invite to continue.

"I have this problem saying 'no' to things… What I mean by that is… For example, yesterday, I was asked by 5 different people to do 5 different tasks- each difficult in their own way and most of them had to be done by a certain timeframe. I managed to do all of them, luckily, but maybe next time I won't be able to… And I don't like letting people down…" I said to him, even giving him a reason of why I was seeking _his_ help.

He looked at me with an eyebrow raised.

"What's so hard about saying 'no'? It's not difficult. It's only a two letter word. You make it sound like it's difficult."

"It is! What happens if the person needs something to be done because it is important?"

"Everyone has something to do that might be important. But it doesn't mean they should pile the work on someone else. Furthermore, it's okay to do a favor or two, but don't pile yourself up with so many that it's almost impossible to do all of them- or any of them. If you do, as you said, you will only disappoint the people when you couldn't do it- instead of telling them from the start that you can't. It's better to tell them that you can't do it early then saying that you can do it, and end up not doing it at all."

I slightly had my mouth open. Rude, I know. But that is the most I have heard from him- ever! But, he was right… How come I didn't think of it that way?

"Now… Here's your chance to test yourself…"

I had no idea what he was talking about, but then I heard the familiar ringing sound of the bell at the door. I turned towards the door, and there stood Lanna. She saw me and skipped up to me with a smile on her face.

"Hey Mark! I was looking all over for you! I wanted to ask you if you can listen to this song that I am working on and to help me correct it or make it better."

I gave Vaughn a quick glance and he just gave me a blank look in reply. Great, no help or encouragement from him… I'll just have to remember what he said… Better to be straightforward then to lie and get hurt for it later.

"Uh… No…?" I said to her, unsure a little of my answer.

She pouted at me and I expected her to yell at me. But, she shrugged her shoulders instead and said, "All well. I understand… Maybe I can get tips from that little girl instead… She seems to like my music and she has an honest opinion about things…"

Lanna turned away from me and left the shop. I stood there in shock, not believing how fortunate everything turned out.

"That wasn't hard, was it?" Vaughn said.

I nodded my head of course. Before I could reply, the door was opened once again. This time, the person that walked in was Chen.

"Afternoon Mark. Just came by to ask you if you can watch my son for me. I just need to go do something for about an hour or less."

Okay, this one is hard to refuse to do. Chen is not only an adult, he has a good reason for asking me I'm sure… It's rude to be impolite to elders… But, if I do his task, I might never learn… I'll just do this one more time, and that'll be all…

"I can't Chen…" I said to him.

I saw him shrug his shoulders, not making a big deal out of it.

"I understand. Thanks anyway."

He turned away from me and left… I did it again! Hey, this 'rejecting' thing isn't as bad as I thought it would be! It actually feels- good!

Again, the front door open with the bell ringing above it. This time, Pierre walked inside. He walked up to me, obviously looking for me.

"I've been looking for you Mark! Anyway, I came by to ask if you can taste some dishes of mine. I'm going to try to cook something completely new and random today, and I wanted you to be the first to try them!" He said with a smile.

Sorry, but I don't want to be your personal taste tester…

"No." I said simply, not even feeling guilty with my response.

Pierre titled his head to the side, but he shrugged his shoulders.

"Okay. I'll see you around."

He turned and left as well.

I'm on a roll! I was about to thank Vaughn and leave, my problem now solved, but once again, the door was opened… This time, it turned out to be Chelsea. She skipped up to me happily with a bright smile on her face.

"Good afternoon Mark! I wanted to know if you wanted to go walk with me and then have lunch together… What do say?"

Without hesitation I said, "No."

She pulled off a slight sad expression.

"Oh… Well then… I understand…"

Instead of her leaving she looked behind me, where Vaughn was sitting.

"Well, what about you Vaughn, want to join me instead?"

"Sure…" I heard him say behind me.

Chelsea smiled at that and then she left the shop.

"Okay… What did I just do…?"

I heard the stool screech against the floor, and then I felt his hand lightly hit my shoulder.

"What you just did was decline a date with Chelsea. I never said to say 'no' to everything."

He then walked pass me and left the shop, leaving me in my thoughts- and dawdling in my mistake…

I only have one thing to say….

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

* * *

**AUTHOR'S COMMENTS/NOTES**

* * *

Well, this chapter is the last one for the season, Spring. Beginning next chapter, it will be the start of the Summer season. What chaotic things will happen? Only the future knows that- meaning me. You just have to wait and find out…

If anyone is wondering what happened the next day, Spring 27th Friday, concerning Vaughn and Denny, Chelsea and Julia, and Mark… Well, nothing much. I decided not to really add such information. I don't think it's very important… If you must know, Denny does call Vaughn and tell him she's okay. Chelsea obviously doesn't tell Julia what happened between her and Mark at the mountain- claiming it is very personal and nothing 'romantic' happened between them. As for Mark… Well, Mark won't really be the same the next time he is seen… Mark obviously hasn't given up, but he has at the same time… You'll see what the future holds…

For the depressing parts with Mark and Pierre, I had a little 'help' for those scenes. I looked at certain literatures (online) and reading different things helped me write down exactly how I wanted to describe their pain and suffering. I will admit, that it made me a little teary eyed too- oh wait… It could be because of that onion over there… Anyway, I'm not going to share what they were (the literatures), unfortunately. I don't want people going to the same places I go to and use the same ideas as I do. I will, however, give them proper credit when I do the 'Resources' page when this story is done. I think I did well for Mark's part… I'm going to have a hard time topping that for certain scenes in the future between certain characters. But, I think I can still pull it off- hopefully it'll be just as good or better…

Elliot's POV wasn't originally planned to be done… But, again, thanks to my sub-conscience, it (should it be called an 'it'?) convinced to make one. A glimpse of what he was seeing going on with Mark, how lost he was/is with his friend- how left out he is while Mark is going through this- 'phase'… Julia's POV wasn't originally part of the story either. But, I needed someone to make time move along, that makes sense anyway… Denny's POV was planned. And yeah, I left Vaughn's number out, I don't want people calling a random number that doesn't really lead to him xD

Oh yeah, I made it over 50k words! YAY! I reached my goal!

As for the BONUS, the idea came to me while I was watching a show called, 'Ned Declassified: School Survival Guide'. A TV show (Nick, no longer on TV) that is basically a 'guide' on how to get through Middle School… I love that show… I might not be in Middle School anymore (many years ago for me), but some of the tips he gives can still apply to certain things… Not all, but certain things… I wish the show was around when I was in Middle School… Anyway, I don't know what the exact title is, but it's one of them… Onto the numbers now:

**(1)** _willing to ship his stuff first_: For those of you that might not know how each resident makes money to pay rent (according to my story). Let's take a few intelligent guesses…

Denny obviously makes money by shipping any fish he doesn't want. Since he eats at the Diner most of the time, more than not, he obviously gets his money from somewhere. Since he lives on the beach, this makes it easier for Elliot to crate and ship his things onto the ship/boat nearby. If he doesn't catch enough fish, maybe Denny gets lucky during the Summer season and catch pirate treasure(s). On average that's 10,000G; S ranked would be 30,000G, that's more then enough money for him.

Julia and Mirabelle make money from not only their business, but for shipping any animal products. They probably only ship animal products when needed. I assume they use it more often for cooking then making money- except for any sheep wool of course... Elliot probably ships off anything that they want to sell- or Natalie does it…

Elliot and Natalie make money by shipping the stuff of course. They are getting paid for their labor of course. Felicia is getting paid because she is the one that has connections with a shipping company… In fact, I think she has her own company… But of course, she needs to have connections with the city/town as well to get rid of the products. Obviously her company would be no good if she has nowhere to ship any products. Taro… I don't know… I think he's on his retirement money… XD

Pierre makes money, at least I think so according to the game, is by him shipping his famous dishes. He can make a lot of money alone if he ships one Mochi Mix Natto or Red Flower Mix Natto- both costing 180,000G if S rank. On average, it would still be a whopping 128,700G. He's living the good life. But, in my story, he is able to stay on the island due to a gourmet scholarship or something like that. Elliot or Natalie would be needed here to ship the stuff.

Lanna probably doesn't need to make money. She probably has millions, if not billions, of gold saved somewhere. She probably has all she needs to stay on the island for a very long time. If she does need money, she goes fishing as well. Not to mention, even if she is 'retired', she probably still gets paid for every time someone buys her music at a store- even if she gets 100G per one that is sold. Do the math and multiply that around the world (billions/trillions of people), and she is STILL living the 'high' life. Elliot and Natalie probably don't need to do anything for her.

Chen and Charlie is an obvious one. No explanation needed…

Regis probably gets paid for how many items are found in the mine. He probably gets more than half the gold the items are sold for while the rest goes to his workers. Believe me, if the workers were getting the full amount for what those minerals and jewels are worth- would they really be working for Regis or even working at all? I highly doubt it. Elliot probably does need to pack things from the mine, and he might even have to check with Regis to make sure the amount is correct. Sabrina doesn't really get paid. Why would she need it? She works as the accountant of the company, I assume, I highly doubt she is getting paid for it. Even if she is, what does she spend it on? She doesn't eat out… Well, maybe for her art hobby or books? That might be it… I don't think Elliot or Natalie ship anything for her, she seems to keep all of her paintings/art work in the house- on the walls or elsewhere…

Gannon and Eliza is another obvious one. Mostly Gannon does the work while Eliza plays and studies (she does do work, I've seen books on her desk in her room).

Nathan and Alisa are a different matter… I can't even figure out how they survive when they are inside of the church most of the time… I guess they are getting money from offerings? They use most of it for the Goddess and the rest would be for them… I have no idea, I'm taking a guess here…

Shea and Wada, don't really need money xD They don't have to worry about rent- since they are wild men and only a crazy repo man would go in there and take something from them. They survive solely on the necessities for life- food, clothing, and a roof over their heads. The jungle they live in gives them all of those things.

**(2)** _Rice Porridge/Congee/Okayu (etc.)_: Rice porridge, or congee (as some countries call it), is a 'common' dish in many Asian countries. It can be eaten for breakfast, late supper meal, or even as a side dish (replaces rice). Depending on which country, it can be bland, sweet (which makes it be more 'rice pudding' then porridge), hot and other flavors. In Japan, it is called Okayu [オカユ？]. In exact words, from Wikipedia:

"In Japan, okayu is popularly known as a food served to the ill, occupying a similar cultural status to that of chicken noodle soup in America. Because it is soft and easily digestible, okayu is the first solid food served to Japanese infants; it is used to transition them from liquids to the thicker rice dishes which constitute much of the Japanese diet. It is also commonly eaten by the elderly for the same reasons."

A similar description can be found on other sites. But, they basically say the same thing- that's it healthy for you… Huh… No wonder Vaughn is never sick xD A very bland food and yet it is healthy for the body. I learned something new…! For more information about this food, use the internet or go to your local library- or just ask a chef. xD

**(3)** _Rice Pudding_: In my own opinion, rice pudding looks similar to rice porridge at first glance. But, just by the name itself, it taste sweeter of course. But, that only depends on how it is made. I've made rice pudding before, and I love the taste of this myself! I figured that if Vaughn likes rice porridge (Okayu), why not try rice pudding? Not only does it have many things that he likes it in (milk, rice, and eggs- he can add chocolate too if he wants), it taste very- good, for lack of a better word! Anyway, yeah, I decided to change it up a little… For more information about this, to make it yourself or otherwise, try the internet or get a cookbook. This dessert should be easy to find. I can't say if rice pudding is good for your health or not… Again, it depends on how it is made…

**(4)** _Angler Fish_: This fish can be caught in the game, but when you catch it- the character throws it right back into the sea. Why? Angler fish are pretty rare is why. For those of you that don't know what type of fish this is, it is the fish that is similar to the design shown in the Disney animation movie, 'Finding Nemo'. The fish that was in the dark depths of the ocean? That would be an Angler fish, or very close to it (not all of them look like that). There are different species/classes of this fish. And the reason they are rare is because they reproduce in a very- awkward way… An excerpt from Wikipedia (I'm getting lazy, I'm letting them do the work xD):

"Because individuals are presumably locally rare and encounters doubly so, finding a mate is problematic. When scientists first started capturing ceratioid anglerfish, they noticed that all of the specimens were females. These individuals were a few inches in size and almost all of them had what appeared to be parasites attached to them. It turned out that these "parasites" were the remains of male ceratioids."

Sounds disturbing right? So, those of you that catch this fish in the game and you are frustrated that you can't keep it- think of this. More information can easily be found online and in books.

**(5)** _Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS)_: I picked this disease to give to Mark's mother because it is a— 'easy' death. This disease (syndrome is more accurate) is somewhat common among people- mostly females/women. The thing about this syndrome that makes it scary is that it is hard to tell if one has CFS or not. Feeling extremely tired is only one of the 'symptoms' for this, there are small signs of others. Such as sore throat, lack of concentration and/or memory, unexplained muscle pain and so on. But, as I mentioned before, it is hard to tell if one has this or not. CFS does not get better when one sleeps more and more, it does the exact opposite- it gets worse… An excerpt from a medical site MayoClinic:

"Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a complicated disorder characterized by extreme fatigue that may worsen with physical or mental activity, but doesn't improve with rest. Although there are many theories about what causes this condition — ranging from viral infections to psychological stress — in most cases the cause is still unknown.

Because its symptoms are difficult to measure, CFS wasn't widely accepted as a real medical condition for several years. Today, however, doctors and researchers agree that this chronic condition should be taken seriously.

Although an underlying cause often isn't found, effective treatments for the signs and symptoms of CFS are available. Many people recover from chronic fatigue syndrome over time."

For more information about CFS, in more detail, look it up at MayoClinic (it should say '.com' at the end) or go to another medical site.

This syndrome is scary, I will admit it. But there are many worse ones out there… Such as breast cancer (or any type of cancer), Human African Trypanosomiasis (AKA sleeping sickness), Sickle Cell Disease, Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD; AKA 'Mad Cow Disease'), Lupus, Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva (FOP; AKA Myositis Ossificans Progressiva- a bone disease), Dengue Fever (the 'mosquito' disease), Helicobacter pylori (more like a parasite that causes various diseases), and many, many, MANY more. I only know about these because I had to study the symptoms of these in my classes- the biological aspect anyway… But, the medical books that I have (I'm not a doctor yet, but I do like looking at them and reading about them though) go into details about these and many other ones… The world is sometimes a very scary place…

To add on to this, I also didn't want to use the 'pneumonia' disease, because this one has been used many (if not a lot) times in other Harvest Moon fan-fictions. I think I mentioned this before, but I don't like using other peoples' ideas or one that has been used already. Also, this disease is mostly treatable with a vaccine (more like it prevents certain ones from forming). And since the HM games have a doctor (more than one)- it can be treated, most likely... I used CFS mostly because it is 'untreatable' if not recognized at a certain point (early). As mentioned above, going by the MayoClinic site, it is hard to see these symptoms at all. Not to mention, I wanted the type of reaction that said, "What the hell kind of disease is that?" It does have an obvious name, but not many know about it- especially since it is connected to fatigue… Which is something that most, if not everyone, experiences (fatigue).

For information about any of these diseases, use the internet (avoid Wikipedia though, they are accurate but wrong too in a few places) or when in doubt- use/view a medical book(s). Don't ask me any questions about these though… Since I'm not a doctor (at least, not until many years later xD), I can get in trouble for giving 'false information' about illnesses. But, do feel free to ask me where you can look for information about these diseases; I would gladly help with that.

**_THANK YOU ALL FOR REVIEWING (And to those that read anonymously)!_**


	13. Chapter 12, The Prince Arrival

**Chapter 12, The Prince Arrival**

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**SUMMER 2ND – WEDNESDAY**

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**Denny's POV**

"Crap! I woke up late!"

It is now 6:30 AM, according to the clock I have next to the picture of the large fish. I would usually be up at 5AM and leave about 15 minutes later. Fishing this late is not good! I need to be outside as long as possible. By going out now, it's cutting down my fishing time!

I sighed. I got out of my futon**_(1)_** and immediately started to roll it. I picked up the wrapped bundle and put it back in its usual spot, not too far from the door. I ran back over to the long racks that held all of the oars**_(2)_** and took off my clothes off one of them (I use it as a hook- I sleep only in my under garments; don't have pajama's yet).I put them on quickly and grabbed my signature purple bandana and wrapped it around my ruffled light brown hair. I don't see the point of combing my hair or even brushing it. Since the sea water (mist form or the water itself) makes it frizzy anyway, just best to leave it as it is…

I grabbed two oars of the same color and slipped into my rubber boots. I turned to leave, but I stopped and looked around my shack.

"Kuu buddy, wake up!"

Kuu was perched on top of the logs. His little head tucked into his neck as deep as it could go- indicating that he is asleep.

"Kuu! I know you're tired buddy, but, we got to go! We're late!"

At the sound of my voice the second time, I saw his little head shake a little and he stretched his neck a bit. He opened his big eyes and stared at me… In all of my life, I have never seen Kuu blink his eyes… A bit scary, but Kuu isn't that bad.

Kuu started to flap his little wings at a fast rate, flying towards me. He lands on my right shoulder as usual. I grabbed my fishing rod by the entrance and exit out of my home.

Once outside, I took a deep breath of the morning air and breathe it back out, my eyes closed for the moment. I opened them once again- and saw something that is not of the norm.

The big thing- ship, to be more specific, was towering over me, the shadow of it falling. I looked at the large ship more closely. It was very long in length and of course pretty tall… The ship was white with hints of gold along the rails and any windows that were on it; many windows too… It looked like a cruise ship…**_(3)_**

Just by me looking at it, it had at least 4, maybe 5 decks in total!

"Wow… That is a nice ship…!"

I looked on it to see if there was a name on it anywhere, but I was interrupted from my searching with an unfamiliar voice.

"Like it?"

I turned towards the source of the voice, and the person I saw, was glowing just as much as the ship. A little too bright for my eyes… He wore white from head to toe, with some orange on the edges of his jacket and a black undershirt on. His hair was short, slightly curled at the ends, and blonde- along with him having blue eyes. As for his shoes, they were black and more like dress shoes- shiny too...

I waved at him politely with a smile on my face.

"Hey, good morning! I'm Denny!"

He waved back at me and walked up to me, now standing in front of me.

"Morning to you sir."

Just by his language, he seems to be a polite person as well. If I have to compare this person to anything, I would say a prince- the usual I guess…

"You're new here?" I asked him

He nodded his head and said, "I just landed about an hour ago."

I looked at the large ship behind him.

"Is that ship- yours?"

He nodded his head once again.

"Yes. That is my yacht."

His yacht! That whole thing? Wow… Well, that says a lot about this person.

I looked at the front of his ship, admiring the design, and then I saw brown debris- that most likely came from a crushed rowboat… My rowboat!

"Uh… You crushed my rowboat…"

He looked behind him and saw the broken and completely destroyed rowboat.

"Oh…! I'm so sorry about that…!"

He looked back at me and said, "I'll gladly have it replaced for you. If you want, you can take one of the ones I have on my ship. They're more like lifeboats, but it should do… But, if that's not good enough for you, I'll gladly have another made for you- of any design for you!"

I chuckled and said, "No need to go so far, but that's very kind of you."

"I insist, but it's your choice after all…"

I saw him look at my shoulder and he blinked his eyes, as if he was shocked or surprised.

"My… What a strange species for a bird… What is it?"

"I'm afraid to say that I don't know what he is exactly… But, his name is Kuu."

He smiled at Kuu. His smile, for some odd reason, reminded me of a smile a cat would do… Almost, sly-like if I must compare…

"Nice to meet you as well Kuu."

Kuu said nothing in reply, as expected… The stranger looked at me once more.

"I would like to introduce myself to the authority of the island. Do you know where I should go?"

I pointed towards the exit that would lead to of the beach.

"If you exit through there, it would take you to West Town. You'll end up on a stone-like path. Keep going straight and you would reach the entrance of the ranch. If you see a reddish like house, that's the ranch. If you see something else, then you just got yourself lost…"

He nodded his head and started to head towards the exit of the beach. He turned towards me once more before he left and said, "I would like to meet you again later today. Give you a tour of my yacht. Please be on the beach around 10AM."

He smiled at me once more and then he continued his walk.

I looked back at my damaged boat and sighed.

"_I won't be going fishing due to…. Wait… I never got his name…_"

* * *

**Chelsea****'s POV**

I, or rather we, was inside of the barn, taking care of the animals as usual…

I stopped brushing the cow I was doing and looked behind me; looking at my 'partner'.

"So… Why are you still helping me?"

Vaughn didn't stop doing his work. He didn't look at me either.

"Because…"

Not the answer I want! He didn't like it when I gave him that answer, he's not giving me that either! But, I really am curious why he would be helping me still. My arm has clearly completely healed. Therefore, I can do all of the work on my own.

"Vaughn, you didn't like it when I gave you that answer, so don't do the same to me."

I heard him sigh. He didn't say anything until at least a full minute passed by.

"Because… I want to…"

I looked at him or his back rather, in surprise. He wants to help me anyway, even though I don't really need his help? I think it's very polite of him to do that. But, it makes me a little upset that he won't let me do my job… He must have some other reason…

As if he read my mind, a part of it, he said, "I didn't have the chance to ask but… What did the rancher want to talk to you about?"

I almost responded with the words, "None of your bees wax." Truthfully, it isn't really any of his business and now I know the true reason of why he's sticking around. First it was Julia that's been trying for days to get the information from me concerning that meeting at the mountain. Now, it's Vaughn's turn… I have a feeling he'll try to ask Julia later; to bad she wouldn't know either.

"As I think I mentioned before I even went to go see him, it was a private matter that he wanted to tell me."

"A private matter?"

Mark didn't really tell me to _not_ say anything, but he never really said to share it either… Besides, I don't really want to tell anybody… What he told me sounds too personal to be sharing. Besides, it's his secret to be telling, not mine…

"Yes, a private matter… Which means, I can't tell you."

I heard him scoff, now annoyed. But, he didn't argue about it.

Just then, the door to the barn was opened, and Mark's head appeared.

"Chelsea… A new person is here to introduce themselves… I think you should come out and meet him too… You can come too Vaughn…"

Mark head disappeared and the door closed behind him. I shook my head a little. Ever since that day on the mountain, well, Mark has been avoiding- not just me, but everybody. He would do his ranch work, and then I would see him heading towards the mountains, with his hammer in his hand, going mining most likely… He still says to me, 'Good Morning!' everyday to me with a smile, but then his smile would fade and his eyes seemed to go to another place…

I put the brush into my rucksack, thinking it's best for me to go out and meet this new visitor, most likely a new resident for the island.

I went over to the door and opened it, I saw Vaughn follow behind me. I exit out of the barn with the other following behind me. Using my common sense, I kept walking until I stopped by Mark's house. As I expected, Mark was there, talking to the stranger…

The stranger was wearing a lot of white, with very little of other colors mixed in. The stranger stopped talking to Mark and he looked my way. He smiled towards me politely and waved a little. He had to be around my age at least, maybe a little older. Mark turned towards me (or us to more accurate) to introduce us to the new comer.

"As you know already, I'm Mark. That's Chelsea. She helps me at this ranch…. And the other is- Vaughn…"

The stranger walked up to me, taking one of my hands and he lightly kissed the back of hand. I couldn't help but blush a little. He's being a little _too_ nice. From his slight bowing position, he looked up at me with his light blue eyes and smiled. That only made my face turn redder.

From the corner of my eyes, I saw Vaughn frown- deeper than usual and Mark, he just held a blank face expression… He's been doing that a lot lately…

"Such a fine lady with delicate hands shouldn't be working at a rough place like this." He said while standing back up straight.

My witty response to that was, "Uh…"

Yeah, I sound stupid, I know. But really, how do you respond to such words like that? Sure, I'm thinking to tell him that I can handle the work just fine and I'm not that girly, but the way it came out of his mouth, so smooth like, it's kind of hard to be angry with him…

This time, Vaughn scowled vocally.

"Funny, we gave you our names, but you didn't introduce yourself."

The man looked at Vaughn and smiled. The smile he did, reminded me of a cat… When I say that, I mean that same cat from 'Alice in Wonderland'**_(4)_**…That Cheshire Cat! Yes, that is it.

"Forgive me. It is discourteous of me to not have done so."

He looked at me again and said, "My name is William Terry Louis Andrew Carrick Jonathan Dredge Hams Reading Roger Southwark Alwick Plymouth Junior Regison the 3rd."

The only words I caught were William and Terry. I think Mark looked just as stunned with such a long name.

"But, many call me Will." He said.

Well, that's a lot easier to say than that long name he said a second ago.

Will looked back at Mark.

"If you don't mind, I would appreciate it if you can bring your closest and most trusted friends to the beach around 10AM. I would like to give everyone a tour of my home."

So, there's going to be two shacks at the beach? Hopefully his will be different looking compared to Denny's…

Mark nodded his head at Will.

"I'll invite some people later…"

Will looked back at me and said, "I'll see you later Chelsea."

He smiled at me once more, and then he left.

I saw Mark look after him for a moment, and then he walked back to his the fields to finish his work. He had lots of work to do, since he planted new seeds on the field for summer. But, he at least doesn't have to harvest anything…

As for Vaughn, he turned away and quickly went back to the barn. I of course followed, there was still a little work to do…

Once I stepped inside however, I saw that he was frustrated about something. He was showing it by brushing one of the cows a little too hard.

"Vaughn, you're brushing the cow too hard."

He stopped brushing altogether and stood to look at me. I was right, he is definitely mad about something. I sighed and put my hands on my hip- he's always mad about something.

"Vaughn? What's wrong with you now?"

He scowled at me before he answered.

"I don't like that Will person."

I almost rolled my eyes. Newsflash, Vaughn hardly likes anybody.

"Vaughn, you hardly like anybody."

He scowled at me again.

"I really mean I don't like this- this- noble-like person! I think I don't like him more than that rancher out there!"

Wow… That's a lot of hate…

"Vaughn, you just met this guy. How can you hate someone that you just met? You're not even giving this guy a chance to show what he is like."

Vaughn just grumbled under his breath in response. I just shook my head and took out my own brush from my rucksack. I walked up to one of the cows I didn't brush yet and continued my work.

"_Meet him at the beach around 10AM… Hmm… Seems like a good idea… Best way to meet some new people and possibly make friends… I wonder what his house would look like…_"

* * *

**Vaughn's POV**

I'm still angry… And I still don't like this Will person. He just seems- fishy. I'm not exactly sure why I don't like him, but I'm sure I'll find out in a few minutes…

It's now 10AM, and I'm walking with Chelsea towards the beach. I wasn't planning to come at all, but once I saw that Chelsea was going (along with Julia annoying me to go too), I gave up and went anyway.

"I still don't see why we _have_ to go to the beach. If this guy is so eager to meet everybody, why doesn't he go around and introduce himself? Instead of telling everyone else to meet him at the beach. Talk about laziness…"

"Actually, I think it's a good idea… By him going to the one that is the government of the island, I guess Mark in this case, and asking Mark to bring his closest friends, it helps him make quick friends and know some people at first glance." Chelsea said from beside me.

I just scoffed in reply. I still think the guy is being lazy.

We finally reached the beach- and we both stopped at the entrance at the same time.

"Oh my… Is that a cruise ship?" Chelsea said in amazement.

I forced myself to look away from the large cruise-like ship, despite how nice it looked. I instead looked around on the beach itself. Besides some of the other residents there, closer to the ship, I didn't see another house or shack on the beach. Where is this guy living!

Chelsea continued her walk and I just followed behind her. We stopped where the others were. The 'others' turned out to be Julia (not surprising), Elliot (nervous as usual), Natalie (in a wheelchair I noticed), Pierre (he looked- gloomy), Denny (same as ever), Mark (expression blank), Jungle Boy (why the hell is he here!), Sabrina (looking really nervous and small), Lanna (same annoying look), and those two annoying kids (Charlie- and I forgot the girl brat's name).

I looked around, not seeing that annoying guy. I scowled. Why would he tell us to be here and not be here himself? This is seriously a waste of time.

Just as I finished the thought, I saw stairs descend from the large ship, hitting the dock. Everyone looked up, and standing there at the top was the man himself. He just looked down at us all with a small smile on his face, a smile I am growing to hate more and more. Even though I have only seen him do it a few times, I just can't stand that look on his face. It pisses me off.

As for the man himself, he descended the stairs, slowly, one at a time… I hope he trips, taking his damn time. This isn't some theatrical show. Once he was only a few steps away, he finally spoke, "You trust these people the most, Mark?"

He stopped at the bottom and walked up to Mark himself.

Mark didn't answer his question; I think it's obvious why. Sure, he may trust everyone else here, but he doesn't trust me- not by a mile. But, he nodded his head and Will (I don't have an insult nickname for him yet- another thing that annoys the hell out of me.) smiled at him in reply.

"I'm glad to hear that." He replied.

He turned towards the rest of us and introduced himself. After that short introduction he went on to the reason of why we're here.

"As I'm sure Mark mentioned that I have asked him to bring his closest and most trusted friends to the beach. The reason why is because I wanted to give you all a tour of my home…"

Just like I did moments before, some people looked around the beach, trying to look for another building that would indicate it was his home. But, just like me, there wasn't one. Will most likely saw this, as he slightly smiled at us all.

"I don't have a home on the island; neither do I have a room at the Inn or Hotel that I heard about here… I live- on the ship behind me."

I held back the laugh I wanted to make. So, he lives in worse conditions. He has to be living in a room below docks and be forced to smell any disgusting smells from there? Somehow, that made me feel better.

As if he read my mind, he looked directly at me (I could be wrong, but it looks that way) and said, "The whole ship behind me… Is mine… It is my yacht."

That caught me by surprise.

"_Shit! That whole thing is his! I thought too soon…_"

I didn't voice my opinion, but the others did, except for Sabrina- she stayed quiet.

"Even though you told me earlier, I'm still amazed that such a large thing is yours!" Denny said.

I looked at Denny.

"_Will told him earlier about his yacht? When did this happen?_"

Will chuckled at Denny's comment and said, "Thank you…"

He became slightly serious.

"Since my yacht is rather big, I thought I give everyone a tour of it… If you don't mind everyone… I would like everyone to take the stairs one at a time… I would like to get your names and shake hands with each of you. I remember names easier that way."

Most of them agreed, not counting me obviously…

The first one to introduce themselves was Julia; she happily and basically jumped in front of him.

"I'm Julia and I work at the animal shop with my mom! The shop is located in West Town, basically as soon as you exit the beach. It's very nice to meet you Will!" She said with a smile as she held out her hand, palm down.

She obviously wasn't expecting a handshake… More like the greeting that he gave- Chelsea earlier. I scowled at her back, but she ignored me. She's obviously only getting on his good side just so that she could ask him for a favor later. She's not like that all of the time, but she can be sometimes.

From the corner of my eyes, I thought I saw a flicker of annoyance on the nerd's face. Huh, he can have a backbone when he wants to…

To Julia's disappointment, Will just took her hand and shook it lightly.

"Nice to meet you too Julia. Please climb up the stairs and wait there."

I could clearly see the disappointment on her face, but she nodded anyway and went up.

Next was Lanna, who's greeting was similar to Julia's, but she didn't even hold her hand out for a handshake. She went up the stairs shortly after. Denny followed her, giving Will a strong handshake and being friendly- as that is his nature… Mark went next, normal greetings… Sabrina went after him, though she kept her head down the whole time. Both of the kids ran up to him, introducing themselves in quick sentences and talking excitingly with what might be on the ship before they ran up the stairs still chatting away.

After the brats, Jungle Boy himself introduced himself. Surprising me, he can be not 'wild' when he wants to be. His name turned out to be Shea (I never knew his name). He obviously doesn't trust Will that much- he carried his spear with him and he had some knife strapped to his waist. Will however didn't look intimidated or offended in any way; he greeted him as if he was greeting someone that was in his own status. I also heard him saying that he would like to talk to him a lot in the future… That made me wonder… Shea ran up the stairs. Just as he disappeared at the top of the stairs, Mr. Nerdy and Nervous introduced himself next. I expected him to be looking down the whole time, but, he greeted Will staring him in the face and he seemed to give him a strong handshake as well… I think he's only doing that because of Julia. Yeah, it's seems he can have a backbone when he wants to. I still think he can be a coward though.

The only ones left were Chelsea, Natalie, Pierre, and myself.

"How am I supposed to go up the stairs? I'm in a wheelchair." Natalie said.

Will looked at her and smiled slightly.

"After everyone goes up the stairs, I will go up myself and change it into a ramp. I don't single out anyone."

Natalie said nothing, satisfied with the answer most likely.

I expected Pierre to go next, but he remained in his spot, behind Natalie's wheelchair… Maybe he pushed her wheelchair? What a strange scenario…

Chelsea finally walked up to him.

"You already know me." She said to him with a smile, being the nice person that she is.

Will smiled back at her and said, "Yes. I could never forget such a simple yet beautiful name as Chelsea."

Before she could respond or even climb up the stairs (either case), he took one of her hands gently and did the same actions that he did earlier. I scowled at the sight. It's funny that he is only doing that towards Chelsea. He didn't do it with my cousin or the other girls, just with Chelsea. If that doesn't give me a right to not to like Will even more so, then I don't know what does!

I noticed Chelsea's face go slightly red before she ran up the stairs.

After she was gone from my view, _I_ decided it was my turn.

Will looked up at me (I'm taller than him by an inch or so at least) and smiled slightly.

"I have also met you at the ranch… But, I can't seem to recall your name."

"Vaughn." I said.

"Ah yes! Well, you seemed very- occupied with something earlier. You kept giving me dark looks and you scowled at me as well, I believe… Have I introduced myself incorrectly to you? Or maybe I am offending you in some form that I don't know about?"

"_You have no idea._"

I still don't know why I didn't like him when he first introduced himself at the ranch. I have a reason now… I think he's pulling a fake façade on everyone. He can fool everyone else, but he's not fooling me.

"Well, I hope I'll get on your friendly side." He said as he lifted his hand, leaving it in mid-air for a handshake.

I gave his hand one look before I looked back at him. I didn't make a move to give him a handshake. I'm not planning too, not now and most likely not in the future either.

Once he got the message that I wasn't going to shake his hand, he brought his hand back to his side. He stayed calm about the whole thing and still smiled back at me slightly.

"I'll be up in a moment." He said.

I just walked up the stairs, reaching the top in a few seconds or less.

As I expected, everyone was waiting not too far from the top of the stairs. Most of them were looking around with their eyes only. I looked around myself. There wasn't much to see. There was a lot of empty space, but, looking to my right, I could see a small passageway that led somewhere… But I couldn't tell where… Not only that, if I looked up, there was a whole _roof_ there. The floor we are on is most likely only a small portion of his yacht… Maybe this is only the middle of it? Hard to tell…

I then noticed Chelsea and I decided to join her side. Once I stopped beside her, she asked me, "So… What do you think?"

"Of this ship or Mr. Rich Boy?"

Well, there's his insult of a nickname- for now... She shook her head, but smiled slightly anyway.

"Both?"

I scowled.

"I still think there is something fishy about him… And I still don't like him."

She shook her head again.

Just then, Mr. Rich Boy himself appeared at the top of the stairs. He turned towards the stairs, looking down. He took something out of his pocket, a small controller, and pressed a button. Before my very eyes, I saw the stairs turn into a ramp… He's definitely a lazy person, more-so then Mark.

Will put the controller back into his pant pocket. A few minutes later, Natalie and Pierre appeared. Pierre was the one pushing the wheelchair, but Natalie was most likely doing the work (using her hands to move the wheels). They quickly introduced themselves. Once they did, they joined the rest of the group while Will stayed standing in front of the stairs. He smiled at us all and began his tour.

"We are right now on the 'Main Deck' of my yacht. As many of you probably noticed, this is a sheltered exterior one. Directly above us would be the 'Upper Deck', which is what you would see on the outside, the railing and all. Directly under us would be the 'Lower Deck' There isn't much on this deck, but I'll leave that for you to decide."

He turned right, where I saw that small hallway, and he kept walking. Using common sense, all of us followed.

Walking through the 'hallway', we finally came upon a few doors. One door was really huge, in fact, it was two doors. It was red with gold mixed into the door for design purposes. He pointed at the doors.

"This room leads to the galley, or the kitchen. The chef's work really hard and cook new dishes for me every day, not once have I eaten the same thing. Most of them that are working here are honorable and famous ones from around the world. Many of them speak different languages, obviously coming from different countries."

I decided this was the best time to try to annoy him. I briefly thought about raising my hand, but then I saw the image of a classroom full of students and I dismissed the silly notion.

"If they speak different languages, how do they communicate with each other?"

Will looked at me, and smiled. Why does he smile so damn much! He didn't look annoyed with the question either, it was as if he was expecting my question.

"Communication isn't really required to cook. They communicate with each other by doing actions and working together. Each does his or her own share of work by splitting up their work equally and using pictures. If anything needs to be said, the head chef either gets me to translate or a translator, who I sent on vacation for a while… So, I'm afraid you won't be meeting him…"

He turned towards the door and I frowned at his back. He answered my question with ease, not even hesitating…

He pushed open one of the doors wide enough for us to see inside. Everything, and I mean everything, inside was made of some form of steel. The only thing clashing with the silver design was the chefs themselves- wearing their white uniforms. Right now, every staff member was busy doing something- not a single one was doing nothing or relaxing... Not even looking towards the door at us… One of them stopped doing their work and walked up to the door that Will held. I assumed he was the head chef, the way he walked. Not only that, his uniform was black, not white like the others. He came out of the kitchen and looked at Will with a questioning look.

"這些人都是你的客人？"**_(5)_** The chef said to him

What did he say? I didn't understand him. I'm bilingual myself, due to my job. But, I only know my own language (Japanese), English (second language), and a little Spanish, but that is all. What the chef was speaking sounds similar to Japanese (or close to it), but it wasn't Japanese. Will obviously understood him easily.

"是。我很抱歉沒有及早作出通知，但這是一種最後一分鐘。你認為你將能夠為我們大家做飯？" Will said to him.

The head chef looked at us all. After a moment, he looked back at Will and nodded his head- for whatever reason. Will smiled at him.

"好極了！什麼將在菜單上的午餐？" Will asked him (it at least sounds like a question)

The head chef walked back into the kitchen and came out a minute or less with papers in his hands. He handed the papers to Will. Will looked over the menu and then he looked back at the man.

"這看起來像晚餐的菜單。日本主題？" Will asked him.

"這菜單晚餐。午餐菜單是一個驚喜。不過，如果你想知道，午餐會有所泰國導向。是你，好嗎？"

"作出任何與我是好的。此外，你知道我多麼喜歡驚喜。" Will said to him with a wink.

He finally faced us as he lifted the papers a little.

"These in my hands are the menus for dinner. If any of you are planning to stay for that, you may. Dinner today will be Japanese themed. As for lunch, it will be a surprise. But, that's your choice if you are staying or not."

He started handing out the menus. Once I got mine, I looked at it. The menu itself was white with the letters in gold. It wasn't blinding like his ship, but bright enough to see it and to not annoy the eyes too much. The paper itself felt glossy and like regular paper, and it definitely had some sort of design in it. As for the food, it was a traditional Kaiseki-Ryori**_(6)_** dinner… With all of the works…

"_Damn… I can't even afford this on my own…_"

I hope he is not going to make us pay for this…

And, of course, as if he read my mind, Will said, "The food of course is free. Once I get to a certain part of the tour, that'll be free too… Believe me, I have more than enough money that I don't know what to do with it sometimes…"

I listened to his voice carefully, and I realized he did not say that to brag or even to mock anyone here (Sabrina wouldn't be offended anyway). He said it as if he was- _disappointed_ about him having so much money. Hmph! I don't see him riding a rowboat.

"Anyway, I'm sorry that I haven't introduced the head chief. His name is Fu Bai**_(7)_**. If you have any comments or complaints about the food, please take it to him. He's okay with the Japanese language."

Fu Bai bowed slightly to us all and then he went back inside the kitchen, the doors gently closing behind him. Will continued his tour for this floor. He pointed to another door not too far from the kitchen.

"That room is the salon; hair and spa."

"_What is a man doing having a hair and spa place on his boat?_"

I decided not to dwell on that. Julia however squealed in glee and jumped up and down happily.

"OH MY GODDESS! You have a _SPA_ here!" She yelled with excitement.

She squeaked in happiness again and ran up to hug the man. I shook my head at the sight and Will looked unsure of how to react to the situation.

"Uh… You're welcome?" He said.

She finally let go of him and stared at the door that held her beauty dreams. She looked back at Will and I somehow had a feeling that she was pulling off the puppy face.

"I don't like being rude but, I would like to stay in that room… Is that okay?"

He nodded his head in reply and Julia, once again, screamed in happiness. Before she could run down the door and disappear behind it, Will handed a card to her.

"What's this?" She asked while looking at the card.

"One of the staff members inside will tell you what it is- and what you can do with it… Enjoy your stay inside the-"

Julia was gone from his view before he finished his sentence… She's going to be there for a _long_ time. Will looked stunned for a moment before he faced everyone again.

"Is uh- Julia always like that?"

"_Yes. And much worse too…_"

"Yes."

That was Chelsea's voice. At that, Will smiled at her and walked up to her.

"You're a close friend of hers Chelsea?"

She nodded in response.

"Well, how about you tell me more about your friends once I'm done with the tour."

I held back the scowl I wanted to do. Chelsea, being the kind person that she is, agreed to do so… Of course, Will smiled at her response, as expected. He turned away from her and pointed to the smaller door next to the kitchen door.

"That door leads to the dining room. The dining room theme is changed daily. It depends on the meal that is being served. Since dinner meal is Japanese-themed, the room will be designed to fit that theme. The room is large enough to fit everyone here and even a small orchestra."

Not giving any of us time to explore the room, he walked past Chelsea to continue the tour. We were back near the stairs again (or now ramp). This time, we went to the left side, and we stopped in front of one door.

"This door… Leads to my room…"

I bet his room is set up nicely.

He proved me wrong when he opened that door…

Lanna, being the nosy person that she is, was the first one to step into his room. Gradually, everyone else followed… I was really wrong about his room…

His room was very- modest. The only thing that was white in his room was the bed (king sized?) itself in the far back, left corner (where I stand). In the corner, the far back from where I stood (at the door entrance) was a big brown cabinet or dresser- maybe both. In the other corner, closer to where I stood (to my right) was one single bookshelf, filled with books… The weird thing about it, it looked like all of the books were encyclopedias, thesauruses, dictionaries, and books for languages. Next to the bookshelf was a plant, the normal kind…. Not too far from that was a brown couch, a long table with a cloth and tea set (tea kettle and cup only) on it, and another brown couch on the other side of the table; all in front of a window that had red curtains. In the middle of the room, was another two brown couches, set on some angle facing each other. A much smaller table separated them (circular) and a side table with a lamp on it separated them as well. Under all of that was a brown rug with simple designs on it; Different color and size rug that I was stepping on, white- like his bed… And against the wall, directly in front of me, was a desk with a telephone with papers and books (they looked more like notebooks) on top of it. A normal black chair occupied the front of it…. I noticed one of the books was open…

I looked around the room and saw that Chelsea was in front of the bookcase and Will was with her… They were chatting away about something. The others in the room looked slightly bored and were looking around a little… I walked straight ahead, to go towards the desk. I don't mean to snoop, but if it was that private, he wouldn't have left it open…

I finally reached my destination and I looked into the book. I was right, it was a notebook, a journal of some sort... And it had writing in it… Lots of writing. Lucky for me, it was in a language I could read and not some other one. But, on the downside, the writing was pretty small (even if the handwriting looked neat). I leaned forward a bit to look at it closely, but just then, the notebook was shut closed, and all I saw was a hand.

"_Uh-oh…_" My conscience said, stating the obvious.

I stood back up straight, and as I somehow expected, Will was standing there, with his hand still on the notebook. His face was blank now, but I saw a small hint of annoyance in his eyes. Looks like he can be annoyed- wrong time to see him annoyed though.

"I'm sorry but… These are private… I must have left it open by accident."

I decided not to respond, keeping all thoughts to myself… He still stood there, obviously making sure that I wouldn't look at it if he turned around. So, I turned away instead and walked back to the door.

"_If it was so important, why did he leave it out in the open? I really don't like this dude._"

I was in front of the door again, but I left the room. Not that long after, everyone else exited out of the room as well. I saw Will close his door behind him, and he locked it using a key. He was really making sure that I didn't look at his 'private' notebooks.

"We will now go to the 'Upper Deck'," Will announced.

He walked pass his room and we all followed. He stopped in front of the stairs.

"After you all," he said, extending one arm towards the stairs gracefully, acting like some "proper" host.

I decided it was best for me to not go up last. I don't want to end up tripping by 'accident'. So, I went first and others followed. Will did the same stairs-to-ramp trick like before so that Natalie and Pierre could join us.

I looked around, and my mouth nearly fell open. This floor was _definitely_ more exquisite (too much) then downstairs. Right in front of me within a few steps, outside, was a large swimming pool (even slides were added), a somewhat large area with tables set up and fancy chairs (a outdoor dining room) and I saw two mini-bars outside. There was one large area that led inside, but I can't even imagine what would be there. And, I saw another area, much smaller it looked like… A cabin possibly?

"As everyone can see I'm sure. There is the swimming pool and the juice bar- no alcohol is ever served on my ship. Over there-"

He pointed to the cabin I noticed.

"That is the captain's cabin. His name is Hwoarang**_(8)_**. He may look young and inexperienced with ships, but I trust him with my life… I call him Captain Hwoarang, due to his experiences and skills... I suggest everyone to not get on his bad side- he knows Taekwondo**_ (9)_**…"

Good enough for me… Not that I would get on a captain's bad side, unless he got on my own nerves first…

Denny whistled at the sight in amazement.

"This is really nice…" He said as he looked around again.

Will walked around the edge of the pool, to get to that large area with the one single door, we all followed him. He opened the door and walked inside, we all followed again.

For the second time, my mouth almost fell open. The two kids that was with us jumped and down in glee and amazement.

"WOW!" They both said at the same time.

What caused their excitement? The whole room, the WHOLE thing, is basically a- game room.

"This is the sky lounge. Usually it is located outside, but I wanted this inside for- obvious reasons…"

I think it's stupid to have such a room on a ship. Not only is almost everything in this room is electronic, it's a big hazard. If this ship ever gets hit by a bomb or something, all of these things in this room will tilt or fall (whatever it may be) and hit everything in its way (easily killing anyone), plus- it'll just make the boat sink faster… Not very smart…

The game room had a pool table, hockey table, a very large flat screen TV with a large cabinet under it (most likely holding various game consoles) along with a couch, a blank large table with a very large cabinet next to it (board games?), and lastly game arcades- lots of them. To the far right, against the wall, was another juice bar. To add on to it, there were a few small refrigerators- most likely holding snacks and possibly cold drinks.

I could see pinball machines, driving games, some fighting ones, shooting ones (mostly to shoot zombies?), and MANY others.

"_Hey… Is that a football game?_"

Yes, so I like football- so what? I don't mind western ones either… Though, I'm not good at video games anyway…

The kids were so excited and just would not be quiet. They both ran up to Will.

"Hey mister, can we play the games now!" Charlie asked him.

Will smiled at them and said, "You can if you want to… Unless you want to play Laser Tag**_(10)_**…"

I saw their eyes widen.

"Laser Tag?" They said together.

Will walked over to the juice bar in response. He reached his hand behind the counter and took out two toy guns and two vests it looked like. He came back to stand in front of the kids with the items in his hand.

"Laser Tag is basically a game you play in the dark. The lights will be out, but the vests glow a little. You use these guns to shoot at these holes you see on the vest. Whoever shoots each other the most, wins."

"But… This room isn't dark mister." Charlie said.

Will pointed to a lever at the far end, one I didn't notice before.

"If I push the lever up, all of the other games in this room will disappear within a hidden wall. Once they are trapped within the wall, artificial rocks and other hiding places take their place. The only things that will remain will be the snack bar area, it also doesn't change… Do you guys want to play?"

As I expected, the kids nodded their heads in unison, now excited to play this 'Laser Tag' game. He handed the items to them and they put them on in a hurry. He looked them over, probably making sure that their items were on correctly, and nodded his head in approval. He walked over to the lever, and pushed it up. As he mentioned already, most of the items in the room disappeared behind the walls or sunk into the floor. The room became dark, the only thing glowing were the two vests and some red light on the guns. Some of the 'rocks' inside of the room glowed as well, I guess to make it easier to hide behind them…

Of course, the two kids started to chase each other around in the room and trying to shoot each other… I don't know if getting hit with the laser on the skin is safe or not… And I rather not find out…

"We'll leave them in this room for awhile. I'll ask one of the servants to watch over them." Will said.

We all exit out of the room. Will headed toward the area where the captain's cabin was. But, that wasn't what caught my attention… I didn't notice it before, but I see it now… There was a door next to the cabin, but it wasn't hooked up to a wall that would take you to a room. In fact, it was standing by itself. The only thing that was next to it was a card scanner. It wasn't only me that saw the door standing tall, completely defying all of the laws of gravity. Denny of course voiced his opinion.

"Hey… How is that thing standing on its own…?" He asked.

Will stopped his walking course and looked at the door, as if he just noticed it himself. Though, he didn't look surprised at all.

"That door… Leads to a private room… My 'other' room I guess you can call it…"

And then his face expression changed into one that was completely serious.

"That room is only for my eyes only. I am the only one allowed in that room. No other is allowed into that room. Those of you that have a curious nature- I suggest you to throw it out of the window just this once… The room is too private and I will not answer any questions concerning that room."

"_Room? What room! It's just a door standing on its own! It's not against a wall to lead anywhere!_"

Not only that, his words were obviously a warning… A very clear one… This only makes me a little more wary about this man. Something isn't right…

His face expression changed back to one of kindness with the smile on his face.

"I'm glad all of your understand."

He pointed at the captain's cabin again.

"Behind the captain's cabin is the 'bridge'. In other words, that is where the captain and some of the crew members would go to in order to command or control the ship. The captain will also make important announcements from there- or make not-so-important announcements. Anyway, if there is a destination one wants to go to, that is where you should go."

He pointed to a ladder that lead up, right next to the captain's cabin door (opposite of the stand alone door).

"That ladder will take you to the 'Sun Deck'. There isn't much up there since it is small. Only a Jacuzzi and a mini juice bar are up there."

Will headed back to the stairs with everyone following him once again. This time, he kept going straight; pass the stairs (a left if someone is standing in front of them). Again, there was a large area there, with only one door.

"This door leads to the gym."

He opened the door. The gym didn't look much like a gym to me. In fact, most of the room was empty. The only thing in the room was the large, thin, white pad on the floor. On one side of the room, against the wall, was a wooden rack holding- shinai's**_(11)_**!

"_This room… Isn't a normal gym…_"

To emphasize my point, he had the whole outfit hung up behind the wooden rack. And next to that, was a white gi**_(12)_**, with a blue belt around the waist**_(13)_**.

"Oh man! I haven't seen those things since high school!" Denny exclaimed as he ran up to the wooden rack, looking at each shinai.

Denny faced Will and asked, "You know Kendo**_(14)_** and-"

He looked at the white gi hanging on the wall.

"-Karate**_(15)_**?"

Will smiled at him and said, "Yes. I know both."

And then he frowned at bit.

"My karate isn't good though… I'm only a blue belt…"

That's only 4 belts away from red. He's obviously good enough.

Will then brings his attention to me.

"What about you? You're good in any sports? Or are you only good at jump rope."

"_What…? Oh! So he wants to try to be funny._" I thought as I smirked at him.

"I doubt you're good in either. I'm sure you just painted your white belt blue."

He shook his head and smiled at me.

"I did no such thing. I earned that… Want me to demonstrate my skills on you?"

I scowled at him in reply. Looks like he trying to find some excuse to start something with me. Before I could answer with a remark that consisted of only two words, Chelsea interrupted us.

"Are we going to continue the tour?" She asked, as if nothing occurred between Will and me.

Will brought his attention to her.

"Yes, we will…"

We all left the room, him closing the door behind him. He walked back to the stairs and walked down the ramp, not changing it back into stairs.

"We will now be going to the 'Lower Deck' once we are back on the 'Main Deck'." He said, continuing his walk without stopping.

We finally reached the main deck. He walked to the center of the room and bent down. He pulled on a hook, revealing a staircase that lead below. We all went down the stairs and Will repeated the stairs turning into a ramp for Natalie to come down as well- along with Pierre.

The first thing we all see is a pool. A little smaller than the one on the upper deck, but still big enough.

"This pool was created just in case it rains on the main deck. Though, I'm planning to try to fix that problem in the future…"

We walked alongside the pool and stopped only a few feet away from it. It was basically a hallway, aligned with many doors… I counted more then 20- I think…

"11 of these doors are guest cabins. Each guest cabin has a suite bath, a couch that becomes a bed if pulled on, a table and desk, and a flat screen TV with thousands of channels. The satellite can be seen on the 'Sun Deck'. It's away from the Jacuzzi of course."

He reached inside of his jacket and pulled out cards. He showed them to us.

"These cards are for the guest rooms. Each of you gets one. Julia already received hers earlier."

He passed them out, but kept one in his hand I noticed…

Once I got my card (I did want to refuse taking it, but that's just a hassle), I looked at it. On the card itself, it had a small picture of the yacht in the corner and in gold letters it read, 'Dragonfly'… I'm assuming that's the name of his yacht…

"Dragonfly? Is that the name of your ship?"

That was Lanna's voice. Quite frankly, I don't care if he named it 'Happy Land'… Ugh… That's worse than 'Sunshine Island'…

Will looked at her and smiled at her.

"Dragonfly is the name of my yacht… Coming up with the name for my yacht was- difficult… I gave it that name based on the symbolic meaning of the insect itself. The dragonfly represents prosperity, good luck, strength, peace, harmony, and purity. Since the dragonfly is also an insect that flies in the wind, it represents change. Since a dragonfly is an insect for water as well, water is symbolic that is related to the subconscious and deep thoughts… Plus, dragonflies are my favorite insects."**_(16)_**

Jesh, thinking too much?

I put the card given to me into my pocket. As of right now, I don't care about the card.

I saw Will walk up to Chelsea and he handed her the last card.

"Your room is the first one on the left side. Your room would be directly under mine." He said to her with a smile.

Chelsea took the card from him and politely smiled back at him.

"Thank you… I think…" Despite the smile, she sounded like she was also a little confused.

He again smiled at her before he looked at me, a blank look on his face.

"Your room is towards the back. I think you'll like it there."

I already had a feeling my 'room' would be located there. Not that I would stay here- ever. He keeps it up and I'll gladly push him into the pool behind me.

He turned back towards the many doors.

"The other doors are the crew headquarters and the engine room. The engine room will have a sign on it with the words 'DANGER' in red and 'DO NOT ENTER' in yellow. Please heed the sign. The engine room is nowhere to be exploring."

"Excuse me Will…"

That would be Mark's voice… He has been very quiet during the whole tour…

"Yeah Mark?"

"I would like to stay, but, I have some work to do. I thank you for the tour and for showing such kindness towards me."

Will nodded his head at him and waved at him lightly.

"I understand. I'll see you around."

Mark waved at him back and then he turned to leave. As soon as he headed up the stairs, I saw that nerd following him, not that far behind him.

* * *

**Elliot's POV**

Mark just made it to the top of the stairs. I said his name before he disappeared completely. He was only a few steps away from where I stood. I moved away from stairs, afraid that I might get clumsy and fall down the stairs. I gave Mark a look of worry.

"So Mark… How it's going?"

He shrugged his shoulders at me and said, "Fine."

"I see…"

That can't be true. He didn't come and see about what happened that night… In fact, he doesn't even come see me anymore… Not even for the 'event' day he made up- 'Fun Monday'… What exactly happened on that mountain?

"You know… You don't even see me anymore… At least, not since after that day…"

He sighed and said, "I just have a lot of work to do…"

"I have a lot of work to do too… But, when my sister was in the bed all of the time- I still made time to see her… Mark… What happened? Is something bothering you?"

He sighed once again. He shook his head a little but didn't say anything.

"I really don't understand what's going on… But you seem to be more busy then usual… What's keeping you so busy?"

He stared at the floor and said in a very low voice, "My mind is keeping me busy… And I'm trying to figure things out is all… I just need to be alone for awhile…"

"Oh… How much time do you think you need…?"

He looked straight ahead, his back still to me. He again spoke in a low tone.

"I don't know…"

At that, he continued his walk to the ramp that would take him back onto the beach. I just stood there, not exactly sure what to do or think. He seems to be doing everything himself now and days. He's not asking for help- not even mine… The only thing I do know is…

"_I think I just lost my best friend…_"

* * *

**Vaughn's POV**

_He's_ right now talking about some of the channels the satellite picks up, including some channels in a different language. Like anyone really cares… Except for Lanna…

"_Someone tell this guy to move on! It's getting annoying!_"

"So, which room is mine?" Lanna finally asked.

"The room number should be on the card. Look on the front of the card. If the number isn't there, look at the back. There is a long barcode number. Look at the last two numbers of the barcode and that'll be the room number." Will explained to her.

Lanna looked at her card and nodded her head.

"Okay! I know which room is mine now!"

She walked down the hallway, looking for her room. She finally found it and she slid her card through the card slot attached to the doorknob. She looked into the room and ran inside, the door closing behind her. Another one lost…

Just then, a loud 'neighing' sound could be heard throughout the 'hallway'. I looked in the direction it came from, at the end of the 'hallway'.

"_No way… Is there a- horse here!_"

Will looked down the 'hallway' as well. He continued to walk down the corridor, and we followed him. Once he reached the end of the corridor, he stopped. I looked to my left, and there was a small stable area for- a white horse… The 'stable' was large enough to hold the one horse. The entire floor was covered with hay, enough for the horse to walk around in. There was a small feeding bin behind the horse. Next to the feeding bin was a small fridge, holding who knows what. On the wall behind the horse were different hooks holding horseshoes, some rope, and a brush with a saddle. Under the hook holding the brush and saddle was the compartment that held the hay, though locked at the moment. Blocking the horse's path, preventing him from leaving his area, was a large wooden gate, locked in the moment. The gate reached halfway of the horse height, just enough to block its legs, and also tall enough that he couldn't easily jump over it.

Will walked up to the horse and the horse happily neighed at him. He pets the horse head lightly and it kind of bumped its head against his head. Will laughed a little and said, "Hey buddy. I wasn't gone that long. You're probably anxious to go outside huh?"

In reply, the horse hit its head lightly against him once more. Will gripped the gate and swung over the gate with ease (as if he done it a hundred times or more). He walked over to the small fridge on the ground and opened it. Inside of it, were hundreds of carrots. It's obvious what they were for- even if I hate the things myself. I made sure my face was blank, no need to let someone know I hate the damn orange food!

He took one out and closed the fridge once again. He held out the carrot to the horse and it happily ate it within a few bites. He pets his horse head again and muttered some words that I couldn't hear.

"Wow… Your horse looks very happy." Chelsea commented.

He looked at her while still petting his horse head.

"I try my best to make sure he's comfortable…"

"Does he have a name?" She asked him.

He smiled at her and said, "His name is Arthur."

The horse neighed again, hearing its name obviously. As of right now, I'm not exactly sure what to think after this display… It's obvious the guy loves his horse, but then he's also so damn annoying, and paying so much freakin' attention to Chelsea…

Will then looked at me and said, "The reason why your room is back here is because my horse would be right next to your room… Based on my observations this morning, you were on the ranch this morning… I assume you help take care of the animals, with Chelsea…? Based on that and- the way you're dressed, I assumed you would like your room back here next to my horse."

I decided not to say anything to that… Though, it made me wonder a little… What does he want? He wants me to do his animal work for him? Do I look like a servant? I scowled at the thought. Maybe he doesn't mean that at all, but I can't help but believe my own thoughts.

He then faced Chelsea once again.

"Speaking of the ranch… I saw a stable there… Is there a horse inside it?"

She nodded her head in reply. He smiled happily.

"That's great! Arthur won't feel that alone then!"

He walked over to the hook holding the brush and he took it off. He began to brush his horse down, doing it correctly I might add… Why can't I find anything wrong with this guy's care of his horse! Not that I am trying to- why the hell am I explaining myself?

"So, does your horse have a name?"

"Yes. Mark named him Dash." She said.

While he continued to brush his horse, he looked at Chelsea and asked, "Well… Mind if I ask that you go riding with me tomorrow after you're done working? I would like a tour of the place… You can tell me about some of the things concerning the island…"

"_What!_"

I looked at Chelsea from the corner of my eyes; she can't be seriously considering this! He can explore the island himself! He doesn't need some tour guide!

"Uh… Sure Will… We can do that tomorrow…"

He smiled at her reply, most likely happy (obviously). He even closed his eyes to show how happy he was.

"I'm really glad to hear that!"

I scowled. I don't understand her kindness at all. She's almost- spoiling him, for a lack of a better word. Not that he needs to be anymore then he is now- just by looking at this whole ship of his!

He put the brush back and jumped back over the gate with ease, not even tripping a little.

"Hey. What's this?" Denny asked.

Denny was at the end, as far back as he could go- a dead end. But, he was pointing at a metal circular object. It was a metal manhole (porthole will do too), with a metal hook to grab onto in order to open it.

"That leads down to the miniature submarine that I have."

Denny looked at him with wide eyes.

"You have— a mini- submarine!"

Will nodded his head. In reaction Denny practically ran up to his face and said (or yelled rather), "DUDE! That means I can see the fish! Oh my- can I try it out!"

"_What the hell! Don't tell me he's being fooled too…_"

"Do you even know how to drive one?" Will asked him.

Denny shook his head, but he obviously still wanted to be in the submarine- and try it out... Damn sell out…!

Will sighed a bit, in defeat, and said, "Sure you can try it out… But, I'll inform the captain to be with you. I don't want to get in trouble for you not having an underwater pilot license**_(17)_**… Unless, you do have one…"

"Nah, I don't have one- unfortunately… Anyway, what type of model is it?"

"It's a C-Expedition 3**_(18)_**. It can hold up to 3 passengers, the max speed is 3 knots, it can go down up to 328 ft or approximately 107 yards, and the oxygen can last up to 6 hours. In the case of an emergency, it has 96 hours of life support."

Denny made this face of pure happiness, probably imagining what it's like in the submarine, what he will see down in the ocean. I can somehow see him selling his own soul without hesitation- the sell out!

"Hey… Why do you have a submarine anyway?"

"I have one for different reasons…"

Denny didn't ask what he meant by that. I have a feeling he didn't ask because he didn't want to get on his 'bad' side. Most likely so that Will won't 'forbid' him to ride the submarine… He really is selling his soul…

"Would you like me to get the captain now?"

Denny nodded his head eagerly. I'm not going to repeat my thoughts…

Will took out that remote control from before. Why does he need it? I don't know…

I found out why he took it out not too long after. He pressed some button on the controller and he brought his mouth close to it, _speaking_ into it.

"Captain Hwoarang. Are you busy?"

There was silence, and I thought that he might have gone crazy for a minute. But then, the other person, the captain, responded.

"이게 바로 그 녀석입니다. 뭐가 필요합니까?"**_(19)_**

Great… Another person who doesn't speak my language…

"There is no need to speak in your language… Nothing is going on…"

There was silence again, but the captain spoke about a minute later.

"I understand… Is there something you need me for?"

"If you're not busy Captain, there is someone that would like to go on the mini-submarine… Would you mind being his guide?"

"Be there in a minute."

Will put the controller back into his pocket. A few minutes later, we can hear footsteps coming from the area where the stairs are. Looking behind me, I could see a tall figure heading our way.

"_That was fast._"

The man, most likely the captain, didn't _look_ like a captain. In fact, he wasn't even wearing the traditional clothes that a captain should be wearing and- he didn't look any older than me (possibly younger than me). He looked more like- a damn gang member. I'm not joking…

He wore pants with these leather straps on each leg (seven?), almost covering the whole pants; a belt with a metal buckle was holding his pants up. He wore- fingerless black gloves…

"_Like mine…_" I briefly thought.

Except his had these small metal dots aligning the knuckles- can't imagine what would happen to a person's face if he punched somebody with those on…He wore pilot goggles, which were around his forehead at the moment, holding back his red/orange hair. He wore a sleeveless and leather (tight too) shirt with some design on it; thank the Goddess it was zipped all of the way up… Lastly, he wore— cowboy boots…!

"_Like me…_"

Except the tip of his boots had a metal tip, clearly seen on the outside of it (and his are more round at the toe area while mine are slightly more 'pointy'). To add on to that, his had spurs at the back… As for his colors, they were orange, black, and blue of course (overall).

"_I was wrong… He's dressed more like a modern and upgraded— cowboy…_"

"_Wow… Somebody stole your style…And totally messed it up, too_" My conscience said to me, stating an under thought I had.

As much as I should be angry with that thought, I wasn't really paying attention to that… I was wondering more where he got the boots from… I wouldn't mind a pair of those…

The captain stopped not too far from me. And he looked at me, probably at my own attire as I have done a minute ago myself. After a few seconds, he pointed at me.

"Nice vest…" He commented, being serious.

I tipped my hat in reply and commented back with the following, "Nice boots."

He slightly grinned at me.

"Wow Vaughn…! Is he your cousin! He's dressed like a cowboy- like you!"

That was- Chelsea's voice… She's not thinking straight obviously… The captain brought his attention to her, and he looked pissed. The same thing I did when she asked me, back some time ago, why I dress like a cowboy. I couldn't help but smirk slightly at the memory; he was giving her the exact same look I gave her then.

Chelsea chuckled nervously from the man's stare and she shook her hands to chase away the comment. The captain took his attention away from her and looked at Will, his expression blank now.

"Who needs a guide?"

Denny raised his hand, swinging it to gain the captain's attention, just like an eager schoolboy… No need to add on to that.

The captain looked at Denny briefly and then he looked back at Will. He folded his arms over his chest.

"Are you serious? You want me to- guide this person in the submarine?"

Will nodded his head. The captain sighed (his name is Hwoarang right?) and motioned his hand at Denny to follow him. He opened the metal manhole with ease and dropped down below, disappearing. Denny followed him soon after.

Now there is only a few of us left… Chelsea, Shea, Pierre, Natalie, Sabrina, and myself.

Will looked at us and said, "And that concludes the tour."

"Wh-What did you think of the tour…?" A small voice said to me.

I looked down. I didn't notice she was next to me before… When did she…?

"I didn't really care for the tour." I told Sabrina.

She looked away and said, "Oh…"

Will clapped his hands together once and said, "Lunch is probably ready. So, those of you that wants to join me, let's go eat!"

I just followed after him. I didn't want to stay originally, but- it's free…

"_That… And because it looks like Chelsea is going as well…_" My conscience said to me, like it was some damn schoolboy back when I was a kid.

* * *

**Pierre****'s POV**

We were now in the dining room… The one that is inside (not outside), and the whole room was designed as the country of the food we were about to eat. According to the Will, it is Thailand… There were mini Buddha statues aligning the table, pictures of the country attractions on the walls, and other small statues of the buildings from that country were in the room. To add on to that, there was music playing in the background on a small radio hooked up to the wall, most likely music from Thailand. Overall, it was set up nicely… It made me feel that I was in that country… If I wasn't so- disheartened, I would enjoy it more…

I could see Chelsea all excited, enjoying the atmosphere- being her usual happy self… Will was sitting next to her, talking about something, maybe the room or country- whichever… Vaughn sat across from Chelsea, and he looked more angry then usual… Sabrina was sitting next to him, giving him this strange look, not really looking elsewhere… As for Shea, he wasn't sitting down… He was looking around the room and poking at stuff, being the curious person that he is… Just then, the door opened and servants came into the room, dressed in appropriate attire to fit the theme. They served some sort of salad first and the appetizer they passed around. As for the main meal, they went around to each of us, showing us what the full meal looks like. If we wanted it, we would ask for it and they would bring another dish out of that meal. This was basically a three course meal- possibly four if we asked for dessert or if it was offered to us. Will definitely has it good…

One of the servants stopped in front of me, showing me one of the meals being offered. I decided to take it, not really caring.

"_It's not like I'll be able to taste it anyway…_"

Not that long after, my meal was out in front of me. I picked up my fork and I put it into the tender white meat (it looked like fish). I put it into my mouth, but not eagerly as I would usually be… As I expected, I couldn't taste the food- at all… My appetite was ruined after that one bite… I was about to just sit there for a few moments, getting lost in my thoughts most likely, but I wasn't that lucky…

"So Pierre… You're a gourmet right? What do you think of my chefs cooking?" Will asked me.

I held back the sigh I wanted to do.

"_I can't taste anything, making me not being able to judge the food._"

I shrugged my shoulders at him instead. He looked confused for a moment and it looked like he wanted to say something to me, but Natalie interrupted him.

"He means he doesn't know what to think! So just leave him alone!" She snapped at him.

Will shook his hands slightly in front of himself to wave away any offense he may have caused.

"I didn't mean to sound offensive at all. I just wanted to know his opinion is all. But, if he feels that way, then I won't proceed with any further questions." He said.

He didn't look offended at all with Natalie's outburst. He went back to talking to Chelsea, as if nothing happened…

I sighed and got up from my seat. I decided it would be best for me to leave. There is nothing for me here. I felt Natalie's gaze on me, but she didn't follow me out of the dining room. So far, she's the only one that knows about my- condition…

According to , a few days back, he told me that he doesn't know if this condition will be permanent or not. He thinks my tongue is like this because the poison from the puffer fish hit my tongue directly, and since it was most likely not a small amount… It probably stunned my taste buds. He said it most likely tried to get rid of the poison by using the spit from my mouth, but of course, spit isn't that strong. So instead, the nerves in tongue shut off completely to prevent serious damage to me- not that I was prevented from harm at all… He told me that I was lucky the poison left my body overall and that I wasn't in coma for a longer period time- or lucky that I didn't die… I don't really see the difference. Without my taste buds to taste food, I feel- not alive… I would be better off dead.

I sighed. But, maybe I'm just being selfish… I don't know what to think…

I realized I had stopped in the hallway, right in front of the huge doors that led into the kitchen. I couldn't help but face the doors completely. And… I was intoxicated by the smells coming from the kitchen… Without really ordering my body, I entered the kitchen.

All of the workers were busy, not stopping once to glance my way or anything. They were most likely setting up dinner now…

I walked around the kitchen, making sure to not bump into anything or anyone. I watched some of them taking out pots and pans, others took out seasoning, and some were washing dishes and so on. But, only one of the workers caught my attention…

I walked closer to the person that caught my attention, the counter he was at. He had various seasonings along the counter and small bowls; the type that would hold sauces… It's not what he was doing that caught my attention- not exactly… What caught my attention was his face… His eyes to be exact… They were covered by a white cloth, making him not being able to see…

"_Or maybe… He is blind…_"

The thing is though, he was moving as if he could see fine. His hands weren't hesitant and they were moving with confidence; not pausing for a moment. I saw him grab an onion from inside a large bowl set next to him. He opened a drawer in front of him and took out two sharp professional knives. He put them on the counter and he grabbed a few of the powdered season bottles and put them closer to himself, closer to the edge of the counter as well (where they could fall off easily). He peeled off the soft shell on the onion before he began to chop it. Again, he was moving his hands with grace.

However, his elbow accidently hit one of the bottles of seasonings and it fell forward, about to hit the floor. But, he reacted quickly… He turned one of his legs to the side and bent it at the knee- hitting the bottle he knocked down by accident. The bottle flew back up into the air. He stopped his cutting momentarily and he caught the bottle in midair. He put the bottle back where it was before, in the _exact_ same spot it was at before. And then he went back to his cutting, as if nothing occurred…

I couldn't help but be amazed with his small display… And, I stayed there… For a while… Just watching him work…

* * *

**Chelsea****'s POV**

It's dinner time already… So, once again, I'm in the dining room. This time, compared to earlier this afternoon, the room was Japanese themed… This time, the tables weren't really tables. Well, they are still tables, but they were lower. The only way to eat on them was to get on my knees, which I think is the point… There was music playing in the background. This time, this one had words to go along with it.

I took a seat on the floor, on my knees and on a mat that was set up. Will again took a seat next to me. Vaughn took a seat across from me, just like before… He seems more bitter then usual… He didn't really do much after lunch earlier. I on the other hand explored 'my room' and the game room. I played pinball and Pac-Ball**_(20)_** all day pretty much... Vaughn stuck around, which was surprising. He said he didn't like Will and yet he's still hanging around on his ship… I don't know what's wrong with him now- he's hard to figure out sometimes… Maybe he's mad because I compared him to that that other guy earlier? But, he really did look related to him (at least a little). The guy even gave me that same glare Vaughn gave me when I asked him about his cowboy getup… Does everyone that wears cowboy clothes get offended when asked? Seriously…

Sabrina took a seat next to Vaughn, like before… I thought it was going to be the same as earlier, not many people eating. But, just then, the door opened and Julia walked in- while wearing a bathrobe tightly around her.

"Julia… Where the hell are your clothes?" Vaughn asked her, making a disgusted face expression at her.

Julia completely ignored him. She was obviously in a _very_ good mood; she just took a seat on the other side of me.

"I'm starving! I can't wait to try the food!" She said.

Vaughn gave up talking to her about her at least looking decent. Again, the door opened, this time Denny walked in.

"Oh man! That was really wicked! I saw- _sooo_ many things underwater! I want one of my own!" He exclaimed as he took a seat.

He looked at Will and asked, "How much did that thing cost you? Maybe I can get one…"

"It cost me 100,000,000G."

Denny choked on something and then he said, "Never mind then. I'll just stick with snorkeling and fishing."

Once again, the door was opened and this time Lanna entered. She took a seat next to Denny.

"I didn't know one TV could have so many channels…! I saw some of the music channels the TV offered… It kind of makes my singing career seem small… I will have to work harder!" She said, her eyes burning with fire, some new determination in her.

I shook my head at her words. Once again, the door was opened, and this time Pierre came in along with the two kids running ahead of him. They each took a seat. I noticed Pierre looked a little happier than earlier and the two kids looked the same as ever.

"You're wondering what song is playing?" Will asked, the question directed at me most likely.

I looked at him and shrugged my shoulders. I wasn't really thinking about that, but it doesn't hurt to know either…

Will smiled at me. I'm kind of getting use to those smiles of his…

"The name of the song is 'Aoi Kaze No Hope'**_(21)_**. The translation to English is 'Blue Wind of Hope'… My favorite part of the song is when he sings, 'Tsurai toki koso mune wo hare. Atarashii nami wo okose. Aoi kaze no hope. Mienai asu wo terasu no sa. Kimi ga kibou…'" He said, not singing those parts, just stating them.

"The words literally translate to, 'Stand straight especially at tough times. And make some new waves. Blue wind of hope. Face the unknown tomorrow. You're the hope…"

"Oh… That sounds very— encouraging."

I'm not being sarcastic; it's just that I don't know how to react to such words…

Just then, the servants entered the room with trays for each of us. The servants again were wearing what the theme was in the room- Japanese this time…

My tray was put in front of me and I looked down at the food- neatly arranged. Denny would be happy with this meal- there's sashimi here…

I picked up my chopsticks (no regular eating utensils this time) and I decided to eat my rice first.

"So… You're planning to stay over tonight?"

I chocked on the rice I was chewing. Will looked at me with worry.

"Are you okay?"

I fanned myself with my hand and I nodded my head.

"I-I'm fine..!" I said to him, while regaining my composure again.

I finally stopped coughing.

"I'm not going to be staying in the room given to me- uh- today… Maybe some other time…?" I told him, unsure of my answer.

"I understand. I didn't mean to sound rude… I can't wait until tomorrow then." He said before he continued eating.

I continued to eat my own meal, wondering what tomorrow will be like…

* * *

I was now at the top of the stairs, ready to head down to hit the sand on the beach once again. The others already went their separate ways, except for Vaughn… He was waiting for me (I guess) at the bottom of the stairs. I took one step down, but then I heard Will behind me.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay tonight?" He asked me.

I turned to face him, him being slightly higher than me (since I am one step down).

"I'm sure Will."

He smiled at me once again and said, "You seem like a very polite person Chelsea… I really hope we will get to know each other well."

"Uh… Thank you… I hope we can be good friends too…"

He waved at me slightly and said, "Good night. Hope you have good dreams."

"Same to you…"

I went down the stairs, jumping off the last step. I started walking towards the exit and Vaughn followed, beside me. He didn't say anything until after we exit the beach.

"How come you agreed to show him around tomorrow?" He asked me.

"Because he obviously wants to know what the place is like. Mark did the same for me when I first came here."

He scowled and said, "Then you should let Mark do it, not you. That would be part of his job as far as I can see."

"Why can't I do it?"

"Don't you think there is something- odd about that guy?"

He answers my question with a question- how original…

"Vaughn, everyone is odd in their way. I don't understand why you hate him so much… You're not really giving him a chance… Everyone else seems to think he's a nice person… Why don't you see that?"

"The same reason why you don't see what I see. I'm telling you, there is something wrong with him…"

I sighed and he stopped in front of his aunt's shop.

"You have a good night sleep." I said to him as I continued to walk.

He didn't respond. He just entered the shop and closed the door. I shook my head and continued on my way home… What a day… Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

**_TO BE CONTINUED…_**

* * *

**AUTHOR'S COMMENTS/NOTES**

* * *

The first thing you might be asking yourself is— was I planning to put William (Will) into the story since the beginning? Yes, yes I was. You might even be going back to the 'Before You Read' page to see if his name was there and that you might have missed it… His name is there NOW, but before, no his name was not there. I wanted him to be as much as a surprise as possible in my story. He won't be the only one either, there will be other characters that make special appearances in my story- and they will be a surprise until I physically put them into the chapter(s) itself… You'll see…

Anyway, I'm serious… I planned to put him in my story since the beginning, just not so soon or early. I really am serious! His name is right here on a Word document that I titled, 'Ideas for HM IoH-IoD Story'… It reads, on the calendar I created (yes, I have calendars for this story- for each season too), '2nd Will Arrives (Dr. Trent is already there for 'vacation')' in bold next to the word 'summer' (whole word in caps)... I even already had a list of all of the things I wanted to be on/in Will's yacht. You want to know how long that file is, that has all of my ideas for this story alone? It's, right now, 26 pages- and that's not doubled spaced and it's more like a list (that is organized in my own way)… Filled with ideas on what should be in this story… Some of the stuff in the document is crossed out, because I used the idea already- and there is plenty of stuff inside of it that isn't crossed out… I still can't wait to use some of them! :) I always make sure I don't acciendently upload it either- I don't want to share any spoilers by accident… The document is quite detailed. Anybody could read the document and know the whole story based on that alone— including the ending… They're like early spoilers!

Anyway, if you are one of the few that reads my comments/notes; I think I mentioned this before… But, remember when I said/wrote that I wanted Chelsea's injury to be 'minor' due to a certain future event? Well, here it is… Or rather, that would be the _next_ chapter (Chapter 13) when she hangs out with Will tomorrow. It's just your job to find out what exactly happens tomorrow.

Another thing you might have wondered is- why does Will sound so perfect? Perfect as in, he has manners, he's not rude, he doesn't seem to get angry, he's rich, he's intelligent and knows different languages etc. You see- that's the point. :) I want him to sound perfect- and be 'perfect'. I have my reasons why… As for that door that stands on its own and that journal that Will didn't want Vaughn to see- that stuff won't be revealed until the future… You'll see… Oh… And those of you that know who Will is- any information, I'm going to have to ask you to not say anything about him in the reviews (if you review- you don't have to). I don't want spoilers about that in the reviews… Not that it would matter- I guess… Eh… I don't know…

This chapter took a lot of work to do- the research aspect anyway… I had so many tabs open… There was no BONUS this time… I couldn't write one… I have plenty of ideas for one, but I just couldn't write it… This chapter is coming out later then it should have as it is. I'll probably have a BONUS next chapter- I think… I'll see…

If you have read this far without skipping anything, pat yourself on the back once again! You just read up to 500 pages! That's half of 1,000 pages! Wow, this fan-fiction will be longer than usual!

And now, here's the numbers, something you have been waiting for I'm sure:

**(1)** _Futon_: A futon is basically a rollup bed (one of the many forms it can be as). A sleeping bag if you will. The correct term to use is 'shikibuton'. Futon is technically an 'American' word. I used this word because it is more familiar, plus, I didn't know the full Japanese name- I can't remember all of my Japanese lessons… I can hear my old Japanese sensei now… xD I should go bother him xD Anyway, in the game, Denny's futon can be seen. As soon as you walk into his shack and look to the right of your character (your right) he has something there that is rolled up. You can see a green pillow or something there. That I believe is his futon. So, if you were wondering where he sleeps or how- well, that's how. He probably sleeps anywhere in that thing.

**(2)** …_racks that held all of the oars_: I'm not exactly sure what that thing is in the back of Denny's shack. You have no idea how long I stared at that thing- a few minutes xD But seriously, I have looked at it multiply times to try to figure out what that is exactly. It could be a rack holding oars (for his boat), it could be a rack holding multiply fishing rods, it could be a rack holding spears that are thinner and in different colors it could literally be anything fishing related. I just don't know what it is exactly. So, I took a guess and I say that they're oars. My eyesight isn't good as it is, so if it is something else- I seriously can't tell what it is- at all. If it's something else, and you know what it is- feel free to let me know. Though, I won't be able to change it in the story… Since I technically let him use them as oars… I'll just make a note here about it… All well…

**(3)** …_a cruise ship_: I know in the game that Will's 'yacht' is brown. Basically the same exact boat you see in 'Island of Happiness', except that you can really go on it in 'Sunshine Island and Friends', but you see- that's where the imagination comes from… It's more fun that way. I think that same boat is only his 'yacht' because the gamers were too lazy to make a yacht for him. Or too tired- whichever comes first…

**(4)** …_same cat from 'Alice in Wonderland'_: The cat that is being referred to is the Cheshire Cat. I don't know about you… But every time I saw Will smile (in the game) and his eyes close- he looked like a cat… To me anyway… I also kept imagining his hair curling at the top of his head… Reminding me of the Grinch too… Nah, the Grinch would be Vaughn- since he's grumpy XD I don't know- it could be just me…

**(5) ** 這些人都是你的客人？: What does this say? I don't know. Joking… The conversation going on between Will and the head chef is Chinese. This is why Vaughn didn't understand what was being said. Since the characters in the game are originally Japanese (I assume), then their main language would be Japanese- and English would be their second language… As this whole fan-fiction is in English. So, it would make sense that English is their second language. A little Spanish because that language is almost 'required' around the world to be taught- and almost required for jobs… What was their conversation? Well, if you heard two people talking in a language you didn't understand, you don't see subtitles under their heads- do you? Same here… Okay, if you want to know what was said so badly- here it is:

"Are these people your guests?"

"Yes. I apologize for not making a notice early, but this was kind of last minute. Do you think you'll be able to cook for us all?"

"Excellent! What will be on the menu for lunch?"

"This looks like the dinner menu. Japanese theme?"

"That menu is for dinner. The lunch menu is a surprise. However, if you want to know, lunch will be somewhat Thailand oriented. Is that alright with you?"

"Anything that is made is fine with me. Besides, you know how much I like surprises."

That was all that was said. Nothing special or important. Oh yes! I don't know Chinese- traditional anyway… I used Google translator to do it for me. Which is a very bad idea to do because it is inaccurate. I would know because some of the things I translate to Japanese (that I can read in Japanese) it is not correct. I do not mean to offend anyone that knows the language or can read it, but I don't have any friends that speak Chinese completely… Well, except for one, but she's rather busy (like me- and more so). So, I had no choice... If there is anybody that knows the language and sees anything that is inaccurate- feel free to correct me.

As for Vaughn's statement about the language sounding Japanese, but not really… It is because some of the characters in the Japanese language are from the Chinese language (or is it the other way around?). For example (from my story above):

日本主題 & 日本語

Can you tell the difference? The first one is Chinese, while the second is Japanese. The first one, according to Google translator, reads, 'Japanese theme.' (question mark is taken out). While the seconds only reads, 'Japanese' (referring to the language) and it is in Kanji. Compare the first two symbols of the Chinese one to the Japanese one- they are the same… Some people say that if you know the Japanese language, learning the Chinese language will be easy. I don't know if that's true, but it sounds logical. The second one is read as 'nihongo' (ni-hon-go). To know more information about the Chinese and Japanese language history- to compare them or not- you can easily use the internet or go to your local library. There's plenty of information about it.

**(6)** _Kaiseki-Ryori_: This is one of the most expensive and traditional formal dinners in Japan (costing $40 to $150; 5,000 to 20,000 yen). It's basically a multi-course meal. According to this article:

"One kaiseki dinner can consist of anywhere from 6 to 15 different kinds of food. For example:

"shiizakana" (appetizers served with Japanese sake), "mukouzuke" (sashimi - slices of raw fish), "kuchitori" (a small side dish), "suimono" (a soup), "nimono" (simmered vegetables), "aemono" (food dressed with sauce), "kounomono" (Japanese pickles), "hassun" (food from the mountains and the sea), "sunomono" (food marinated in vinegar), "yakimono" (grilled fish), "mushimono" (steamed food), "nabemono" (Japanese hot pot), rice, miso soup, and dessert.

The kind of food served will change according to the different months, seasons and what is freshly available at the local market. It is also depends on the area. For example, a kaiseki served in February in Kyushu would be different than a kaiseki served February in northern Honshu."

The information is from the site japaneseguesthouse DOT com/about/ryokan/kaiseki DOT htm. Another site to add on to my resource page.

**(7)** _Fu Bai_: I came up with this name by using a 'famous' name generator. It is Chinese. I couldn't come up with a name on my own, so I used a generator thing… Anyway, his name does have a meaning- which I think is okay… 'Fu' (富/芙) means 'wealthy' or 'lotus'. The definition for the first one I think is obvious. The second one should be obvious as well… Though, I could have sworn that lotus wasn't just a flower. I remember seeing it as a kung-fu technique too- but I can't seem to find it on the internet anywhere… I'm going to have to ask my kung-fu expert dad… He would know… He studied/read about a lot of kung-fu techniques- way before they were in America (as in movies)… As for 'Bai' (白, 百, 柏), it means 'white, pure' , 'one hundred, many' , and/or 'cypress' (basically a tree/shrubs- could be used for mourning).

**(8)** _Hwoarang_: Those of you that play the 'Tekken' series games- would recognize this name. He is the character that wears the goggles on his forehead and he has this 'obsession' to beat his rival/enemy Jin. He has to be my second favorite character in the game series (I think- there could have been another…). I'm not good at fighting games anymore… I use to be and then one day- I'm just not good at them anymore… I use to be able to beat my brother at that game and others- way before he got better/good :/ All well… Anyway, Hwoarang, according to his game profile (which I am using for the story- somewhat), he is Korean, he was once in the military (so he would be good with weapons too- and driving a yacht xD), he loves yachting (that was by chance- I didn't know that xD), which is basically racing- but he's good at all sports, and yes- he does dress like a cowboy- which was ALSO by chance xD I'm being serious that I picked him to the be the captain on the yacht by chance… Originally, I was going to name the captain 'Hwan Hyun' , another made up name from that name generator. 'Hwan' (煥) means 'shining, bright' and 'Hyun' (賢) means 'virtuous' and then come up with his looks. But then, Hwoarang's name came into my mind- and I went with it. For more information about this character (or any other from the 'Tekken' series), check online. Wikipedia would be okay. And, check out his outfit for 'Tekken 5' (the one I described in the story) and for 'Tekken 6' (which is a more 'cowboy' looking outfit). And you'll see that he does dress like a cowboy- somewhat. And get this:

"Hwoarang's name is based on the Hwarang, a group of elite male youth in **Silla**, an ancient Korean Kingdom."

What are the chances of that? I mean, the name Silla… That's the name I gave Chelsea's mother- and that is because of a Spanish word. xD Wow…

**(9)** _Taekwondo (Tae-kwon-do)_: Like in the game series that Hwoarang is in- he knows Taekwondo. I thought it would be best for him to keep this. Taekwondo is basically a fighting technique that focuses on the feet (mostly). There is a whole history about this (from how it was derived from karate etc.), but I'm not going to get all 'martial arts' history (or lecture)… Though I'm sure my dad would like to- not that I mind it- I like listening to that fighting technique stuff xD Anyway, if you seriously want to know what this is exactly, feel free to look it up.

**(10)** _Laser Tag_: When I was a kid, there use to be this awesome place called, 'Lazer Tag' (with a 'Z'). Wearing the vest and shooting people with it was fun- just like with water guns. Of course, it's no longer there- but my memories stay with me… Anyway, 'Laser Tag' is exactly what Will said it is in the story. There are now conventions and all of the jazz now. You don't have to be a kid to enjoy the game. If I ever have the time and money, I will go to one someday… For more information about Laser Tag- the conventions or anything else- feel free to look it up.

**(11)** _Shinai_: This is basically a wooden sword that isn't sharp (though it can be if made that way). Those of you that have seen the 'Rurouni Kenshin' series (the 'newer' anime series), you might/should know what this is. It's that wooden sword that the character Yahiko (Myōjin Yahiko (Japanese full name) or Yoshi Myojin in English) has in his hand (the kid). That is basically a shinai. I believe that annoying girl (Kaoru) uses one too- but only when she is instructing inside of her dojo… I never liked her either… But, that's another story…

** (12)** _White Gi_: Basically the outfit a person into karate or any other martial art person (instructor or not) would wear. It doesn't have to be designed in the same way… There are different kinds out there.

**(13)** _…blue belt around the waist_: Karate has a ranking system. Ranks are known depending on the color of your belt. If it's white, it basically means you're new (a newbie). If it's black, you're an 'expert'. The highest level is red, which have been given out very rarely…

**(14)** _Kendo_: Kendo is a technique (can be considered as a sport as well) that concerns the sword. The shinai is only one of the items used to practice kendo- or the equipment at least… The other things a person can wear is a men (which is like a head covering), a do (breastplate), tare (a 'skirt', but not really), and kote (gloves). There are a few other things that I think needs to be worn too. Kendo is available in some high schools as a sport/in gym- some American ones and many Japanese ones I believe has it. Since it is offered in some high schools- this would explain Denny's statement concerning high school… That's another story though… I'm not going to go that much into details about this, but you can look it up if you want. The reason why I am bringing this up in the story, is because I will use this later in the story. So yes, expect some fighting scene(s?) in the future… I haven't written one in a long time, but, when the time comes, it'll come to me.

**(15)** _Karate_: Karate and Kung-fu are two completely different things. My uncle would be able to explain what karate is while my father could explain what kung-fu is- and both can talk about the different techniques all day- almost nonstop. My uncle use to be an instructor of karate. He isn't one anymore, but he still can do the techniques himself. And he isn't one of those fake instructors who give black belts out like it's candy… I won't go there… Anyway, Karate means 'the way of the hand' (I believe- if I remember right). 'Te' literally means 'hand'. I only know this because my Japanese sensei drilled this into my head… He can be mean sometimes- in a humorous way xD I'm not going to go into the long history of karate or kung-fu, but if you're interested- feel free to look it up. I'm not planning to use any techniques linked to these martial arts techniques- in this story at least (at least I believe so). In the future, for another, possibly I will… That is, if I do everything right…

**(16)** _Dragonfly_: The symbolic meaning that Will mentioned in the story is true. According to this passage:

"Prosperity. Good luck. Strength. Peace. Harmony. Purity. These symbolic meanings of dragonfly are particularly associated in Asian (Japan) and Native American (Plains region) circles.

As a creature of the wind, the dragonfly totem represents change. It's iridescent wings are incredibly sensitive to the slightest breeze, and so we are reminded to heed where the proverbial wind blows - lest we run into stormy weather…"

That passage, from 'Whats-Your-Sign' DOT com (yes, the dashes belong there), is only part of it. There is more there on the site, and it goes into further details. I am using this site (and another) for the symbolic meaning of the dragonfly for- various reasons. I originally wanted to name Will's yacht 'Firefly', since his favorite flower is called 'Firefly Flower', but the symbolic meaning to me, didn't match up to what I wanted… So, I used another insect in replace of that one. Makes sense right?

**(17)** _Underwater pilot license_: While I was looking up information about submarines, I read an article and it said something about underwater pilot license… So… There is a difference between a license for a boat and a submarine? I think there is a difference… Looking it up was difficult for me… Anyway, it is exactly what it is- a license to drive a craft- a submarine in this case.

**(18)** _C-Expedition 3_: This isn't the real name of the mini-submarine. The real name of it is 'C-Quester 3'. It's a real mini-submarine that private owners, like Will, can own and do whatever they want with it. However, according to an article about this submarine, "a four-day training course and an underwater pilot's license is essential before you can use a Dutch-built C-Quester below the surface." So, before a person can even buy the thing, a person needs to have a license or something… Unless of course, someone got it illegally… The information for the submarine is:

Company: U-Boat Worx/ passengers: 3/ displacement: 9259 lb

max depth: 328 ft/ max speed: 3 knots (Less then 5mph)

endurance: Up to 6 hours, with 96 hours of life support

Sounds like fun right? The cost of the thing is 500,000 US dollars! Gave me a heart attack! There are people that actually have that kind of money! Wow… Give me the money; you can keep the submarine xD

**(19)** 이게 바로 그 녀석입니다. 뭐가 필요합니까?: This is Korean. Most likely it is incorrect since I used Google translator again. But, once again, I don't have any friends that speak Korean. So, to try to make it realistic, I used a translator. Again, it's not a good idea to use to literally translate something, but this is the best I can do. If this is incorrect, please let me know and I'll fix it. What does it say? If you must know, it read, 'This is him. What do you need?'. That's all it read, nothing important.

**(20)** _Pac-Ball_: Come on now… How could I not mention the 'legendary' Pac-Man? Sure, I didn't type 'Pac-Man', but I think I made it obvious on who I meant. If you don't know who this game guy is- feel free to look him up. Can't miss him… There isn't much to know though… He's just a yellow ball-like thing that has an opened mouth to eat dots and—stuff…

**(21)** _Aoi Kaze No Hope (Blue Wind of Hope)_: Those of you that are Dragonball Z (DBZ) fans (serious ones xD) might recognize this song. This is the song that was played at the end of the 'Future Trunks' movie (Dragoball Z: The History of Trunks), in the credits… At least, I remember for the Japanese version. I don't know if this played in the English version- I never watched the DBZ series in English… I am still a (somewhat) huge fan of this series and I still have favorite characters here and there… In fact, if it wasn't for the DBZ series- I never would have written a fan-fiction… That brings back memories for me… Anyway, this song is Japanese and the lyrics (Japanese and English) for it can easily be found online- and even a video of the whole song playing. Just typing in 'Aoi Kaze No Hope' into a search engine will bring up results… This is one of many Japanese songs that I listen to from anime/manga series. I listen (and sing too :p) to many now and days… I have my reasons why. But, there really shouldn't be a why…

**_THANK YOU ALL FOR REVIEWING (And to those that read anonymously)!_**

* * *

Ranting time…!

Well, I have to say that I am a little sad… One of my favorite TV shows came to an end today (as of December 4th, 2009; Friday). It was the last episode of the season and well- he's now gone… The show I am talking about is MONK, a show on USA. A detective show… For those of you that don't know what that is- it is basically about a detective who has 'Obsessive Compulsive Disorder' (OCD) and other 'fears'. He uses this disorder to solve crimes/mysterious… The name of the main character is Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub- actor's real name). First, Gill Grissom (William Petersen) left CSI and now this! I'm not going to have any favorite shows left on TV soon! D:

As for next chapter, well… It'll be out late most likely… I have exams to worry about and classes don't end for me until after December 11th. After that day- then I'm home free! Until the spring semester that is…!

I did something completely random! What I did was go to the Google translator site, and I made it translate the first chapter of my story (from English to Japanese). My chapter is so long- that it 'broke' Google! xD It translated like half of the chapter, while the rest stayed in English! I 'broke' Google- yay! xD I do this for fun though, I was able to read a few Japanese text here and there (I can't read most Kanji- only Hiragana and Katakana). Completely random I know. But, did you know that there are a few Chelsea and Vaughn stories in Spanish? I can't read Spanish either (except very little), but by using the translator, I was able to get the gist of the story I was reading… Even though some of the text made no sense to me…

I owe people reviews for stories here and there that I have read. I'm right now being 'anonymous' by reading it, but not reviewing. When I get the chance, I have to review stories that I owe reviews to- and that is a lot… Wonder when I'll have the time… Anyway, wait for another update- whenever…! Until next time!


	14. Chapter 13, Riding and Tea

**Chapter 13, Riding and Tea**

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**SUMMER 3RD – THURSDAY**

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**Chelsea's POV**

I stretched my arms as I continued to walk down the stone path in order to reach the ranch. I already did my usual morning routine. Checking the mailbox, eating breakfast and other things.

I finally reached the ranch and I had two surprises waiting for me. Well, truthfully one surprise.

"Will! What are you doing here so early!" I said to him, clearly surprised.

I heard Vaughn scowl, who wasn't too far from Will.

"I just asked him that a second ago, but he dodged the question."

Will gave him a slight questioning look.

"I wasn't avoiding the question at all. I just didn't have the time to answer it. But, if you must know, you might as well hear me explain to Chelsea."

He looked back at me and smiled slightly.

"I figured I come to the ranch early to watch you work _and_ as soon as you are done, we can immediately go horseback riding."

"_Watch me work?_" I thought.

That alone sounds very- awkward…

Vaughn scowled out loud again.

"Don't you have your own work to do?" Vaughn asked, obviously irritated.

Will shook his head.

"Since I just got here, I don't have much to do. Mind you, I do have a set schedule for each day. But, I might have to rearrange some things on my schedule…"

Will looked like he retreated within his thoughts, leaving something unsaid... Vaughn's scowl woke him from his thoughts though. I then noticed that Mark was nowhere to be seen.

"Hey… Where's Mark?"

I saw Vaughn open his mouth, about to answer my question, but Will beat him to it.

"I asked Mark to bring a calendar to my yacht. He briefly told me that there are certain events and such on the island. I would like to participate in some if that is possible. So, by him giving me a calendar, I'll know about all of the events." He explained.

I nodded my head in understanding. Once again, Vaughn scowled, but this time he said, "Let's get to work Chelsea. We don't have time to waste unlike _some_ people."

It's obvious that he's indicating Will… Will, I think, understood what Vaughn really meant, because he gave him a quick glance, though his face expression stayed friendly, maybe even amused.

Vaughn walked to the stable first and I followed him, while Will followed _me_.

Vaughn opened the door and held it briefly for me to walk in. Once I was in though, I saw him close the door hard- most likely in Will's face…

He immediately walked up to Dash and took out a brush to brush him down. To keep me busy, Keeper gained my attention. I bent down to pet him and scratch behind his ears. The stable door opened once again and Will entered the stable of course. He didn't look annoyed at all, even after Vaughn's rudeness towards him.

At the sight of the new person, Keeper happily barked at Will. Will looked down at him and smiled.

"Hey boy… What's your name?"

Keeper barked in reply, as if he was answering his question. Will chuckled lightly and said, "Is that so? Well, nice to meet you too."

He looked at me and whispered, "What's his name?"

"Keeper." I whispered back.

He nodded his head and looked where Vaughn was, or rather; he was looking at the horse.

"Is that Dash?"

I nodded my head in reply.

"Indeed he looks like a nice horse… He looks healthy, has a strong posture, and he looks like he has been trained well… Your doing?" He asked, the question directed at me.

"Well… I haven't been here long, only for about a season… So… It would be more correct to say that it's thanks to Mark before I came along…"

"I'm sure you still contributed to it all."

I shrugged my shoulders to that in reply, agreeing with him a little. He then looked around, the whole stable.

"I don't see a saddle or a bridle_**(1)**_ anywhere…" He said, almost to himself but loud enough for me to hear him.

He then looked back at me.

"I'll go back to my yacht and bring back a bridle for Dash."

Vaughn immediately stopped his work and he scowled at Will, along with a glare.

"Why do you need a bridle? Dash can do fine without it."

Will looked at him, all of his attention directed to him.

"I do not mean that I want to put it on Dash… I kind of have no choice."

"What the hell does that mean?" Vaughn questioned him, his voice rising in anger.

"What I mean by that statement is that Chelsea can't ride Dash without one."

"And why not!" Vaughn questioned, voicing my silent question.

"You heard her… She has only been here for about a season. That isn't enough time for her to gain the horse full trust or for her to be directing it. Since I'm assuming she hasn't trained the horse herself, she can't possibly know the signals used to direct the horse in different directions. By her riding the horse without one, she will most likely get hurt."

Vaughn scowled at him and said, "Dash trusts her more than you think! She doesn't need to have a long history with him to gain his trust! All animals have an animal instinct, and as long as Dash trusts her, she can easily direct the horse!"

"It's better to be safe than sorry. I still think it's best for her to use one."

Vaughn stalked up to Will, his stature slightly towering over him with a glare very clear on his face. Will didn't look the least intimidated.

"Are you telling me how to do _my_ job?"

Will rested both of his hands behind his back, them clasped together, almost like a soldier. He looked at Vaughn straight in the eyes and said, "No I'm not… That wasn't what I was implying at all… I'm just stating that it's safer… She can get hurt…Unless, you are telling me that you don't care for her wellbeing?"

Vaughn didn't scowl as I expected him to. Instead, he repeated what he said a few moments ago, though much quieter.

"And I'm telling you that she'll do fine without it."

It was as if Vaughn was daring him to go against his advice- his words. He was scaring me. Will may not have lost his own temper, but the way he is responding and not reacting to Vaughn's clear anger, frightens me as well (for his safety maybe?).

And then, at the same time, they both looked at me and said, "What do you think?"

"_Crap!_" I thought. I _so_ didn't want to get involved in this.

I looked at both of them, from one to the other. Why do I have to pick which side I should be on?

"_This should be an obvious one. Vaughn is the animal tradesman on this island. You should trust his judgment… Though, Will does have a horse and it looked healthy and such yesterday… Ah… Now I see the problem… You're on your own…!_" My conscience said to me.

"_Yeah, thanks a lot conscience!_" I thought sarcastically.

I looked from one to the other again. Both of them waiting for me to pick a side… And I decided to- run out of there. There was no way that I was going to put myself in the middle of that!

I continued to run until I reached the inside of the chicken coop. Guess I belong there- I'm chicken. At least, in that situation…

* * *

**Vaughn's POV**

Chelsea ran out of the stable to- who knows where… I guess she didn't want to pick… Though truthfully, she should have picked _mine_ without hesitation, and not even considering this _man's_ in front of me.

He was facing the door and he blinked his eyes, probably just as surprised that she ran out like that. He finally shrugged his shoulders and walked towards the door. He left the stable, leaving me alone with Dash and Keeper. I scowled once again, feeling more annoyed than usual. I quickly grabbed some of the pet food and put some in the feeding bin for the horse and some for the dog. I didn't want to stay here long- most likely that Mr. Rich Boy was with Chelsea (or looking for her). Of course I still don't like him! He's already telling me how to do my damn job! Acting like he's an expert in the subject! I know he has a horse, but I'm sure he isn't an expert with animals overall! In fact, I have a feeling that someone else takes care of his horse while he goofs off! He seems to be giving me more and more reasons to hate him (not that we'll ever get along anyway)!

I shook out any other thought concerning that annoying man and I left the stable. I just saw Will leaving the barn, where the cows and sheep rested.

"_Chelsea must not be in there if he is leaving it…_"

So, I headed towards the chicken coop. Will went inside first before I reached it. I opened the door and sure enough, Chelsea was inside. Will just waited on the side while leaning against the wall, watching her work… I forced myself to ignore his strange and creepy habit of watching her; I looked around the coop instead. I didn't see any eggs on the ground; she must have collected them all already…

"You gave all of the chickens attention already?" I asked her.

Chelsea nodded her head.

"I'm working on the last one now." She said.

I saw Will push himself off of the wall and he said, "I'll be back Chelsea. I'm going to get Arthur ready… And I'll bring you a bridle."

He left the coop before I could scowl at him or even argue with him once again about that... But, while he is away…

"Why didn't you take my side?" I asked her, keeping my tone in check.

I heard her sigh loudly before she put the chicken she had in her hands back down. She faced me, but she was looking down. She twirled her fingers nervously.

"I ah… I didn't know whose side I should take truthfully."

I scowled at her answer. I didn't like what I was hearing.

"How can you not know which side to take! In fact, you shouldn't have needed to think about which side to take! It should have been mine!" I didn't know why I was yelling at her. I mean, yeah, she should take my side, but, still, I guess yelling's just a habit.

"Well yeah but… You have to admit that he does kind of have a valid point… I could get hurt…"

"_I don't believe this…!_"

I sighed, doing a poor job of hiding my anger.

"Chelsea… You're being silly! You'll be fine without it! You won't get hurt…!"

She sighed once again.

"You don't get it… You should at least understand slightly why I might be taking Will's side… I know you're right, but I need to think about my safety too… Especially about safety…"

I saw her left arm rub her right arm gently… I don't know if she did it subconsciously or not, but it reminded me why she's being so- not carefree right now.

I sighed once again before I said, "I can't believe you are falling for that superstitious stuff Chelsea."

"Well Vaughn… It's getting kind of hard to not believe in it- even a little… First, Natalie got hurt… Then I got hurt…. And then Pierre got hurt… To follow that, I was almost poisoned by that toadstool and killed by…"

She suddenly stopped.

"_Killed!_" I thought, looking at her surprised.

She never mentioned anything to me about her almost being killed! Not just that- but almost killed by what! And when did this happen!

I was about to ask her, but she continued before I could.

"You tell me if I should be cautious or not… I don't want to ride Dash, fall off, and somehow be stomped to death by his hoofs…!"

I winced at the gruesome image that formed in my mind with that scenario. I shook it out of my head though.

"Are you sure that I should trust your judgment- 100 percent?" She asked me.

I stood there for a second, not responding to her question quickly. I was about to answer, but the chicken coop door opened once again. Not surprising, it was Will. He let himself into the coop and he smiled at Chelsea. In his hands was the bridle, most likely for Dash. I scowled at him, aggravated that he interrupted my conversation with Chelsea. He of course, ignored me. He looked at Chelsea.

"You're still here I see… Will you be done soon?" He asked her.

"Impatient are you? Well, you're going to have to wait!" I told him.

"I don't mean to rush her… It's just that I am excited!" He said to me, smiling as well.

I scoffed in reply. Chelsea looked like she ignored the both of us; though I thought I saw her sigh.

"Just the cows and sheep are left and then I'll be done…" She said, maybe to the both of us.

We all left the chicken coop and went to the barn next. I went back to work, working on the first cow I saw while she went to tend to the sheep. As for Will, he just stood by the door- watching her once again… Chelsea either ignored his gaze on her or she was doing a _very_ good job hiding her discomfort…

There was silence in the barn for the next few minutes, but Will broke that.

"The cows look healthy… And so does the sheep…"

I continued my work, but I scowled and said to him, "What? You're going to tell her how to do her work too!"

I had a feeling that he shook his head before he answered me.

"I wasn't planning to say such a thing… I just want to comment that they look high-quality enough to enter even the most prestigious contests. If any of them ever entered, well-"

I had a feeling that he looked directly at Chelsea.

"It's guaranteed that she'll win." He finished.

I scowled, but more to myself then to him. He seems to be complimenting Chelsea a lot- almost since he got here. Doesn't he have something to do!

I finished with the cow I was brushing and moved on to the next one. From the corner of my eyes, I saw that Chelsea's face was slightly red. I once again scoffed, but to myself mostly.

"That's nice of you to say Will." She said to him, though she continued her own work, not looking at him.

I saw her put her brush away and she took out the milker. She walked over to the cow I finished brushing a moment ago. She began to milk her, and Will remained silent while we worked.

Sometime later, Chelsea and I finally finished the work inside the barn. The only thing that needed to be done now was to bring the tons of gallons of milk to the shipping bin. Thank goodness that there is one inside here too.

Chelsea picked one up, but that was when Will interrupted her. He stood next to her with his hand holding onto the handle as well… I'm wrong… His hand was gently on the top of hers- _she_ was the one holding the handle.

"Let me take that if you don't mind. You'll rough up your hands that way."

I scowled.

"_I can't believe this! He's doing her job! Why doesn't he just go somewhere! And why the hell would she care about her hands anyway? She's been doing this job ever since she got here!_"

"_It's not like she'll agree for him to do it… So, calm down a bit…_" My conscience said to me.

She stuttered for a moment it looked like before she replied.

"It's okay Will I can-"

"I insist." He said, interrupting her once again.

She looked at him briefly while he kept the smile on his face. She finally sighed in defeat, albeit reluctantly.

"Okay…"

She let go of it and he held on to the handle without the item falling to the ground. My scowl just deepened.

"_Well… This isn't right…_" My conscience said to me, stating the obvious.

Will carried the tank with ease, not even tripping with the heavy weight. I grabbed one for one hand and another for the other hand. Will put his into the shipping bin and then I did too. I went to go grab two more, and then I noticed Will grabbed two this time- though I thought I saw a hint of pain on him (work too much for him?). He looked at me, and I saw the glint of 'challenge' in his eyes. I frowned at his expression.

"_Looks like he wants some sort of contest._" My conscience stated.

I grabbed a third tank in my right hand and carried them over to the bin without difficulty (not much anyway). Will saw this and he grabbed a third tank as well. He headed towards the bin with them in his hand. I slightly grinned.

"_I wonder how far he'll go… Let's see if he'll break or not._"

This time, I grabbed _four_ tanks in total- two in each hand. Sure, it's a little heavier and it slightly dug into my skin, but it didn't hurt much due to my gloves. As I brought them to the bin, I saw Will do the same. Though, he was in more pain then I was, since his hands are _bare_. Though, I saw him ignore the pain as he _slowly_ walked to the bin to put them in.

"_Well, I can't carry more than four at once…_"

"_That's not true… You can carry one more…_" My conscience replied to me.

I don't know how that is possible… But, I thought about what my conscience implied- and I did not like the answer I came up with.

"_There is no way in hell I am going to carry one __in my mouth__!_"

"_Either that or you lose to him…_" My conscience, once again, answered my problem.

Will was about to pick up four again to bring to the bin. I only have but so much time left… Damn it!

"_I'm going to need a dentist after this!_"

I picked up one and I put the handle into my mouth. My teeth literally gripped tightly on the handle. The metal handle made my teeth hurt and made me want to drop the thing; the weight of the thing didn't make it any better- pulling my teeth _down_. I picked up four in total for my hands and I walked over to the bin. I ignored Chelsea's quizzical look towards me and focused more on Will's look of surprise- and defeat. I saw him look down at another, most likely debating if he should do it or not. But, in the end, he decided not to.

If the handle wasn't occupying my mouth, I would smirk at my victory. He may have money and other royal-like crap, but I know for sure that I'm not lazy and I'm most likely ten times stronger than him.

"_Don't smirk too soon… You have to keep doing this until __all__ of the milk has been put into the bin._"

"_Damn it!_"

Some painfully teeth pulling time later, we finished. Will looked like he was about to collapse, he did look slightly sweaty on the forehead. Me on the other hand felt fine- or as fine as I can be. My muscles ached a little, but that was all…

Will looked at Chelsea, who was by the door the whole time- watching us do her work… I feel like I was just tricked…

"I'm going to get Dash ready- along with Arthur… I'll be waiting for you outside…" He said as he left, almost in a hurry.

"_I bet I'll find him passed out on the ground… If I do… I'll 'accidently' step on him._"

I then looked at Chelsea, slightly pissed off with her.

"What is wrong with you?" I asked her, keeping my tone almost flat.

She gave me a confused look.

"What are you talking about?"

"Why did you let him do your work? You can do it just fine."

"Well I did try to refuse… But he kind of insisted you know…"

"You're getting lazy… You're turning into Mark…!"

She sighed and said, "I wouldn't worry about it too much. I don't think he'll offer to help me again or anytime soon… He looked kind of exhausted… I hope he'll be okay…"

"_She hopes he'll be okay…! What the hell about me!_"

"As usual Vaughn, if you want, you can take a gallon of milk with you."

I shook my head. I don't want any of it- especially since Will touched some of them. Even if I wanted one, I can't remember which ones I moved and which ones he moved… Maybe next time…

"Well, I'll see you around then." Chelsea said to me before she left the barn.

* * *

**Chelsea's POV**

As soon as I stepped out of the barn, I saw Will with the two horses. His horse was on his right side, his right hand resting on its back lightly. As for Dash, he held the reins in his other hand. He smiled at me, as expected.

"Ready?" He asked me.

I nodded my head and I walked up to Dash. I heard the barn door open and Vaughn walked out. He briefly looked at me and then he looked at Will. He scowled slightly and then he walked passed us- most likely to do his work inside Mirabelle's shop…

I sighed.

"_He's more sour then usual…_"

I stood by Dash and realized just how big he was. There was no way that I could get on the horses back without hurting myself… Jumping is out of the question, I can't jump _that_ high…

"You need help to get on his back?" Will asked me.

I nodded my head of course. He bent down, slightly on his knees, putting his two hands together while lowering them and he said, "I'll give you a leg up… Be careful not to fall…"

"Are you sure you want me to step on your hands?"

My shoes are dirty. Full of dirt from different things that I stepped on. I didn't want to dirty his hands with him possibly getting sick if he didn't wash them right away.

He nodded his head in reply, him staying in that position.

I picked up one foot and carefully stepped onto his hands. I then applied some of my weight into that foot. His hands did waver a little, but not by much. As quick as I could be, I applied the rest of my weight onto his hands while trying to get on Dash's back. At the same time, Will pushed his hands upward to help me along. I was able to somehow swing my other leg over Dash's back, and now I'm on his back. I grabbed the reins so that I wouldn't somehow fall. I looked at Will from my position and wondered how was he going to get on the back of his horse?

"What about you Will?"

He smiled at me and said, "Don't worry about me…"

He walked behind his horse, stopping a few feet behind his horse. Before my eyes could even blink, he did a few complete back flips- doing each one gracefully. His last back flip took him high enough into the air, and he did a slight turn with his whole body. And he landed on his horse's back, without breaking a sweat. I looked at him with my mouth agape.

He smiled at me and said, "I'm ready."

"…. How did you do _that_!" I asked him.

I remember when I was a kid I tried to do back flips, but they're a lot harder to do then it looks. But, the way he did it- he made it look easy. I could do cartwheels, but back flips are another matter…

"Practice." Was his answer.

His face expression turned slightly serious.

"Can you ride a horse?"

I nodded my head.

"The knowledge is a little fuzzy, but it's like riding a bike! You never forget once you're on it!"

Experimentally, I lightly kicked the sides of the horse with the heels of my shoes. In reaction, Dash moved forward, at a reasonable walking pace. Luckily I was somewhat expecting that or I might have fallen off his bare back (he doesn't have a saddle on). Will moved his own horse with ease. Though, I had to wonder how he was supporting his balance. What is he holding on to? Arthur doesn't have reins on it nor a saddle.

I looked closely around his horse's neck and saw a thin, white string (rope maybe?) around its neck. It wasn't on its neck tight, but it was tight enough. The string itself was practically invisible, almost impossible to notice unless someone knew it was there or if someone was looking for it (like me).

I focused my attention ahead of me, and we were just leaving the exit of the ranch.

"Where will we go first?" Will asked me.

We exited out of the ranch and I pulled the reins to make Dash stop his slow trotting. Will stopped as well.

"Doesn't matter where we go first… You can pick which way to go if you want…"

He looked where we at, West Town at the moment.

"I remember Denny telling me this is West Town… What are the buildings here?"

I pointed to the closest one, the Inn.

"That's the Inn. You can go there and sleep for the night and such of course."

I then pointed to the other building closest to us, Taro's house.

"This house right here would be Taro's house. He's an old man that is a retired rancher. If I need any advice on anything concerning ranch work, I go to him for advice. His two grandkids and daughter live with him… You met his two grandkids yesterday… Natalie, the one that was in the wheelchair, and Elliot, the one wearing the glasses."

"I had a feeling they were related… They both had pink hair, and their face features were slightly similar- especially around the cheekbone area…" Will commented.

"Their mother has pink hair as well and her name is Felicia… You can't miss her… She's a very nice woman… Very motherly and caring."

Will nodded his head.

"The one right next to their shop is the animal shop. That's where-"

"Julia works with her mother. They most likely sell animals for your ranch."

I looked at him in surprise.

"Yes… How did you know that?"

"Julia told me yesterday when she introduced herself… Remember?"

He remembered that? He has good memory…

"Well, besides that, Vaughn also works there. He's the animal tradesman for the island."

"He works there? Then why is he at the ranch?"

"Well… He's technically helping me… Before you came, I use to have a broken arm and I couldn't do the work by myself. So, Vaughn volunteered to help me…"

"You had a broken arm…! It's okay now though- right?"

He looked at my arms, his eyes filled with concern. He was probably trying to figure out which arm I broke.

"_Or maybe it's something else."_ My conscience whispered. I pushed the thought away, though.

"My right arm is fine now though." I said, assuring him.

He looked at my face, a slight confused look on his face.

"If he was helping you due to your arm being broken- then why is he still helping you?" He asked me.

I shrugged my shoulders at him lightly. The reason Vaughn gave me was because he just wanted to. I don't understand why, but I don't ask questions… I might have to ask him to stop helping me though… I need to do my work myself. Mark hired me to do the work. He didn't hire two people to do it- let alone, three if Will is counted…

Will didn't push anymore about that issue. He pointed to the building right across from him.

"What's there?"

"That's Chen's shop. He sells various things that are useful. He sells oil, chocolate bars, seeds, rucksacks, bait for fishing, a few furnishing units, lotto tickets_**(2)**_-"

"Lotto tickets?" Will asked me.

I nodded my head.

"Well, it can be called a lotto ticket… If you have the money to buy one, you can either scratch it to get lucky- and _possibly_ win double the amount the ticket cost. Or, you can give the ticket away to someone as a gift and that person can sell it back to Chen for the same amount the ticket cost. Of course, the person can scratch too if he or she wants to try their luck…"

Will frowned and said, "I hate those things."

I looked at him in surprise.

"You wouldn't want one of those things if someone gave it to you as a gift?"

His frown deepened.

"If someone gave me one of those things, I will literally hate them…"

He looked at me, his frown loosening.

"Mind you, I rarely hate anyone."

I said nothing. However, it made see a clearer side of him. He doesn't seem to be the type of person that is greedy and, possibly, money is the least of his worries or wants (needs)… What exactly is his reason coming to this island?

Before I could ask him, he pointed to the building across from Chen's shop.

"And that one?"

"That's Gannon's carpenter shop. You can't mistake that building with another's. You see the wooden boards beside his shop? It might be hard to see them from this position, but whenever you see them, that's how you know that's his shop. He's the best person to go to concerning anything that needs to be built or fixed. He may look- intimidating, but I can guarantee you that he is the nicest person on the island. He has a daughter named Eliza… You met her yesterday."

He said nothing; he just looked at the building. So I continued.

"Speaking of kids… The other one that you met yesterday was Charlie. He's Chen's son. He also works at his father shop. He's the go-to guy to make certain accessories and such. He may be young, but he knows his work pretty well."

I'm not sure if Will heard me or not because his gaze didn't leave Gannon's shop.

"You said Gannon is the best person to go to for building objects?"

I nodded my head at him.

"Including boats?"

"Uh… Well, I don't know about that, but you can ask him."

"Hmmm… If you don't mind, I would like to visit that shop for a moment…"

"Oh I don't mind at all! I'll just stop by to see Julia real quick. Just come get me whenever you are ready!"

He nodded his head once and he guided his horse towards Gannon's shop. I guided Dash to Mirabelle's shop, stopping in front of the shop- and I had a problem…

"_How do I get down?_"

Time to figure this out!

I gripped the reins of the horse tightly and with the same hand, I wrapped my arm around his neck. I swung my right leg over, being careful to not fall. Once I was stable, I let go of his neck, but not the reins. I hopped off his back. A short shock went up my legs, but it wasn't bad overall. I then let go of the reins. I patted Dash's head, appreciating that he stood still while I was trying to dismount.

"You're a good horse…"

I didn't bother tying the reins to a pole or something; I don't think he'll go anywhere, he'll probably (ok, hopefully) stay put. I walked up to the door and opened it.

* * *

**Julia's POV**

I was sitting on one of the stools in front of the counter, reading a short book. I wasn't really reading it much; I was too busy looking at my cousin's expression. He looked pissed off when he entered the shop earlier and he _still_ looks pissed off now. He's right now is his usual spot, standing by the backdoor with his arms folded over his chest while leaning against the wall. I couldn't read his eyes, the shadow of his hat was covering them, but his posture told me that he was angry about something.

Just then, the front door opened, the bell chiming throughout the shop. I looked away from my book (and Vaughn) and there stood Chelsea. She smiled at me and waved slightly. I smiled back at her.

"Morning Chelsea!" I said to her in a slight sing-song voice.

"Same to you Julia." She said.

She looked where Vaughn was and said, "And hello once again Vaughn."

He said nothing to her; neither did he make the effort to move. Chelsea shrugged her shoulders, maybe figuring that he just doesn't want to talk.

"Anything new Julia?" She asked me.

I shook my head.

"Nope… You're not here to buy anything?" I asked her.

She shook her own head at me. I put the book down on the counter and I clapped my hands together once.

"That's _great_ news!" I said to her.

She looked at me with an eyebrow raised.

"And why would that be good news?"

"_Because_-! That means I can go to the hair and spa room on Will's yacht!"

I grabbed her shoulders and brought my face a little close to hers.

"Chelsea…! You have _got_ to try it out! That room is like-like- _heaven_!"

She rolled her eyes at me and said, "It's heaven to _you_ Julia. Though… Maybe I will go and try it out someday…"

"You should! It's relaxing and that's something you need!"

She shrugged her shoulders.

"Maybe later I will go with you."

I let go of her shoulders. I looked at my cousin from the corner of my eyes. He was still looking down, but I could tell he was listening to us. I smiled to myself, suddenly having an idea.

"_He wants to hear our conversation that badly? Well then, I'll give him something to listen to._"

I looked at Chelsea and gave her an innocent smile, or one I hoped looked innocent.

"Tell me Chelsea… What do you think of Will?"

I saw Vaughn stiffen a bit, but he remained in his spot, while still looking down. A reaction I expected from him. I held back my grin.

Chelsea tilted her head to the side slightly.

"I think he's a very polite person." She said.

"I thought so too… But, that wasn't exactly what I was talking about."

She looked confused and I could practically imagine a question mark appear over her head.

"What are you talking about then?"

I smiled at her, not being able to hide my slick smile anymore.

"I'm talking about his looks Chelsea… Don't you think he looks kind of adorable? Not as adorable as Elliot, but he's pretty darn close…" I said, my mind slightly drifting off to Elliot.

I saw her face turn slightly red and she began to stutter a little. Unfortunately, before I could get a clear answer from her, the door opened once again. I looked towards the door, annoyed for the interruption.

"_Well speak of the devil…_"

The person turned out to be Will. He looked around the shop briefly, absorbing everything most likely.

"Nice shop… Looks cozy too…" He said as he walked up to where me and Chelsea were.

"Morning Will!" I said to him, being a little loud.

He waved at me lightly.

"Good morning to you as well Julia."

He then looked at Chelsea.

"I'm sorry if I took too long… I'm ready when you are."

I looked at Chelsea, confused on what he was talking about.

"Ready? What does he mean by that?" I asked her.

She looked at me, her face no longer slightly red.

"I'm giving Will a tour of the island… We're going horseback riding together."

I looked at her, surprised with the fact. I can understand her giving him a tour of the island, but doing it while on _horses_! As far as I know, she only has one horse on the ranch… Are they riding on it together!

"_I guess that explains Vaughn's sour mood…_"

I kept the smile off my face, despite how difficult a task that may be.

"I didn't know you two were sharing a horse."

Chelsea shook her head quickly, a slight blush creeping up her cheeks, and said, "He has his own horse. You didn't get to meet his horse yesterday…"

"If you would like to meet him, he's right outside." Will said to me.

I looked out the window from my position. I could see the heads of two horses. One was brown (Chelsea's- Dash is his name I recall) and the other was white, that one most likely being Will's.

"I'm assuming yours is the white one?"

Will nodded his head.

"His name is Arthur."

Well isn't he the ideal 'prince'. Not only does he wear white, but he has a white stallion.

"His coat looks shiny…" Where the heck did that come from? (I may be Vaughn's cousin, but, I do _not_ use that sort of language!)

Will smiled at my comment and said, "I try my best to take good care of him. He is my best friend after all."

I gave him a slight skeptical look.

"_Sounds almost like something Vaughn would say… Hmmm… How long has he had this horse?_"

Before I could ask him, Chelsea thought it would be best for them to leave.

"I'll see you around Julia." She said while heading towards the door while waving at me.

I waved back to her. She briefly looked at Vaughn and I saw her sigh, a very silent one, and then she left. Will was only a step behind her, waving goodbye to me as well.

"Oh! Wait a second Will!"

He had the door halfway open, but he looked back at me.

"Yes?"

"You know the spa and hair salon on your yacht… You think I can go there now?"

He smiled lightly at me and said, "My yacht is your yacht. You and anyone else can go on it anytime."

I screeched in glee and I think I saw one of his eyes wince a bit- I must have screeched a little too loud.

"Thank you! You have a _very_ nice day!" I said to him in that sing-song voice of mine.

He shook his head slightly and I heard a low chuckle come from him. He then left, closing the door silently behind him.

I heard a scowl come from a certain person. I looked at him with a small smile on my face.

"You're jealous of him Vaughn?"

He then scowled at me.

"Why the hell would I be 'jealous' about some damn rich kid!"

"Well… He's not exactly holding back to hang out with Chelsea. Is that it? You don't like him hanging out with your girl?"

He once again scowled at me, but he added a glare this time.

"I thought I told you before that it's not like that."

"I must be reading your body language improperly then."

"Look! I'm only pissed off because he tried to tell me how to do my damn job earlier! Not only that, he practically did Chelsea's work!"

I smiled at him, the type he hates.

"How would you know if he was at the ranch or not helping her?"

I saw him stiffen, completely frozen. He must have realized his mistake, but it's too late to take it back or try to lie about it. I chuckled at him, further embarrassing him.

"So that's why you have been late lately! I thought it was because you had been waking up late! But, now I know the truth! You've been helping her at the ranch! And I have to wonder, why is that?"

He said nothing to me for about a full minute, still standing in the same spot. He then moved towards the door.

"I don't have to answer to you- or take your accusations. If I'm needed for _work_ purposes, just look for me."

"Wa-Wait Vaughn! I have something for you!"

His hand was on the doorknob, but he turned to look at me, clearly irritated.

"What!" He snapped at me.

"Jesh! Couldn't you at least say 'Yes' to me politely! You can probably learn a thing or two from Will…"

He just glared at me, but I ignored it and continued with what I wanted to originally say.

"Anyway… Some sort of letter came for you." I said, as I took said letter from behind the counter.

I held the letter out to him. He snatched the letter from me and looked at it.

"This isn't a letter… This is an invitation…" He said, sounding slightly confused.

I'm confused too. Who would _invite_ Vaughn over? That person was either crazy or they accidently invited the wrong person. Both sound possible…

He pulled off the seal from the lower part of invitation. He opened it and I saw his eyes scan the inside of it. He frowned slightly a few seconds later.

"It's an invitation to some tea party… What the hell- who sent this?"

He looked at the letter again and his frown deepened.

"It's from that weird girl…"

I gave him a look with an eyebrow raised.

"Uh-huh… And who would that be? I'm sure said 'weird girl' would have a name."

He closed the invitation and looked at me.

"It's from Sabrina… She's inviting me to some tea- _thing_ today at 5PM…"

He looked confused for a moment before his the line of his mouth turned downward.

"I'm not going to some tea party. I'm not some stuffed animal that is forced to sit around the table to drink imaginary tea."

"Oh Vaughn! That's so mean of you! You should at least check it out!"

He shook his head at me.

"I don't think so." He said, it being his final answer.

Just then, the front door opened once again. It was my Mom. She left to just go talk to Chen. Sometimes she leaves the shop just to go talk to someone.

"The weather is nice today." She commented.

She looked at us both. I had a feeling that she realized that Vaughn and I were 'arguing'.

"Okay you two, what happened?" She probably thought that Vaughn & I were on the point of using the pots and pans as weapons again. (Long story, don't ask.)

"Nothing." Vaughn and I replied in unison.

"Don't try to hide behind a lie you two. Either tell me or I'll find out."

I pointed to the invitation in Vaughn's hand.

"Vaughn was invited to a tea party and he's not planning to go."

He scowled at me, angry that I gave him away.

"Really? That's nice to hear. And why aren't you going Vaughn?"

"Because the person inviting me is weird. She says things that don't make any sense." He explained.

"Vaughn… You hardly talk to anybody, let alone be invited to places. Why don't you go this one time? If you hate it, politely excuse yourself with a _reasonable_ excuse to leave."

"Aunt Mirabelle… It's a _tea __party_. That alone doesn't make me want to go. I'll probably be surrounded by stuffed animals and imaginary friends that only she can see."

"I think you're taking it a _little_ overboard. As I said Vaughn, give it try…"

He folded his arms over his chest, being very stubborn, not giving in to my mom's advice. My mom of course didn't change her mind.

"Either you go willingly or I'll gladly take you there myself _and_ stay. You want that?" I had to hand it to her, Mom can sure be pushy when she wants something. Pushy enough to make even Vaughn cave.

Vaughn mumbled something under his breath. He walked passed my Mom and he left the shop. He may not admit that he just lost the verbal 'battle' with Mom, but he's going to that tea party. My mom shook her head and went behind the counter.

"Any customers so far today?"

I shook my head.

"Today's kind of slow…"

I gave my mom a pleading look.

"Can I leave Mom?"

She nodded her head in reply. She picked up the book I was reading before and began to read it herself. I clapped my hands a few times.

"_Spa here I come!_"

* * *

**Chelsea's POV**

We were at the top of the mountain looking at the scenery beyond, while still mounted on our horses. In unison, we both turned away from the scene and headed back down.

"The scenery is very beautiful… Too beautiful for words…" Will commented.

I nodded my head in agreement. But, by being there on the mountain top- my mind can't help but wander to that night… I'm talking about the meeting with Mark… I can't help but be reminded about it. Just being there brings back those feelings I had- and his words… I need to get out of here…

"Are you okay?"

I shook my head, erasing any other thoughts concerning that night.

"I'm fine!" I said to him with a forced smile.

He blinked his eyes at me, but he didn't push the issue.

"There's so much here… There is the church, the mine, the mountain top, and of course, I can't forget the Witch Princess… I still can't believe a witch lives here…"

"I know it's hard to believe she's a witch, but she is. If you push her patience enough, she'll surely turn you into some animal- or worse…"

I shuddered at other possible things she can turn someone into.

"Not only that… You said there is a Goddess living in that pond?"

I nodded my head.

"I wish you could meet her…"

He didn't give me a weird look, like I expected. He actually believed me.

"I wish I could too…"

We were finally on the path once again; ready to find that certain path to cross the bridge once more. But, a certain person was pacing among the trees- or near them at least. The person turned towards us and he scowled a little. I ignored his scowl.

"Hello once again Vaughn… Seems I am bumping into you a lot today."

Will waved at him lightly, a friendly smile on his face. Vaughn just glared at us for a few moments, and then without a word he went back to his pacing. I silently sighed to myself.

"_Is he still angry with me?_"

I shook my head. He's angry with me just because I didn't 'side' with him. Will moved his horse ahead of me. I looked at Vaughn again, him still pacing.

"I'll see you around Vaughn…" I said to him.

He didn't bother stopping his pace or even acknowledging me. I shrugged my shoulders slightly and then I urged Dash to follow Will.

We crossed the bridge, bringing us back to West Town. Will turned to look at me.

"I would like to go to the beach real quick Chelsea. Do you mind?"

I nodded my head and agreed to go with him. We turned our horses towards the beach.

We reached the beach in a short time. The horse's hoofs hitting the soft sand, muffling their sound somewhat. As expected, Denny was sitting at the edge of the dock fishing and the two kids were playing some game. I followed behind Will, not sure why he was here in the first place. He kept making his horse walk until he reached where the dock just touched the sand. Will gained Denny's attention by calling his name. Denny turned towards us, his face slightly confused, wondering who called him probably. Once he knew who we were, he smiled at us and waved.

"Hey guys!" He said, cheerful as ever.

Will slightly bowed his head, a silent hello.

"I just came by real quick to tell you about your boat."

Denny's eyes widened.

"My boat?"

"Yes. I talked to Gannon earlier about him building you one. I think it would be better to own a boat then a rowboat. It's a sailboat too… As far as I know, the hull_**(3)**_ will be a dark purple and the mainsail_**(4)**_ will be white with purple strips… I hope you don't mind the design."

"Not at all! I don't mind one bit!" Denny said with a smile.

Will looked happy with that answer.

"In addition, I ordered a flag for the sailboat as well… The picture on it will be of your bird friend- Kuu."

At that, Kuu hopped up a little in glee on Denny's shoulder. I didn't hear it chirp in delight, but it _looked_ happy. Denny laughed a little while looking at Kuu.

"Kuu thanks you for considering him. He's happy about the sailboat as much as I am!"

Will smiled in reaction to that.

"So, when will it be ready?"

"Gannon said that he should have it complete by next week, Monday. He said he'll bring it to you when it's complete."

"Awesome!" Denny said as he made a motion with his hand, in the form of a fist.

"Until then, if you want, you can go on the submarine- with Captain Hwoarang's assistance of course…"

Denny eyes twinkled a bit after hearing that.

"I'll take you up on that offer!"

He laughed a little and said, "You're going to spoil me, but I don't mind one bit! Thanks for everything Will, I really mean that!"

Will nodded his head.

"It's the least I can do."

Will waved goodbye to him and so did I. He waved to us back and then he went back to his fishing. We left the beach and we were, once again, in West Town.

"Let's head to East Town." I said as I turned Dash in the right direction.

Will followed behind me of course.

It didn't take us long to get into East Town. I pointed to the large mansion.

"That's where Sabrina lives with her father, Regis… Sabrina is the one that wears a pink sweater and she has on glasses. She has a talent for art as well… Her father… Well, you can't miss him… He has a rather- large nose… And he kind of looks likes a vampire…"

Will chuckled a little, probably at the face expression I made concerning Regis. We kept the horses moving on the stone path. I then pointed to the house with the purple roof.

"That's Pierre's house. He's the gourmet. He is short in stature, but his cooking skills are amazing."

I then pointed to Lanna's house.

"That's Lanna's house. She's the one that has long blonde hair and wears a green dress. She is a singer, but she came to the island to relax…"

I then looked at Will, a good question forming in my mind.

"Will… What's your reason for coming to the island?"

"My reason?" He repeated, obviously confused by my question.

"Well… Almost every resident that lives here has a reason for being here… Lanna, for example, was a famous singer before she came here. She came here to relax from her busy career, but she still works hard to come up with new songs. Denny is here because of the variety of fish he wants to catch. Pierre is here because he wants to try to learn new cooking ingredients and so on…"

"What's Mark reason for being here?" He asked me.

I thought about it… But, unfortunately (and surprising myself on how 'little' I know him), I didn't know the answer… Not a true answer anyway…

"I don't know his _reason_ of why he is here… I just know that he is a rancher by- force I guess you can say…"

He nodded his head in understanding. He then looked ahead, but I saw something in his eyes. He looked like he was deep in thought.

"I'm here to relax… I just heard of this island while I was traveling a bit… So, I figured I might as well stop by and just- take a break… My yacht is nice and all, but it's pleasant to just come outside once in a while… Plus, this place is- different compared to, say, the city…"

"Yeah… I agree with you there… It is different here, but in a good way…"

He then pointed to the reddish wooden house.

"Whose house is that?"

I felt my cheeks flush a bit.

"That's my house…" I said in a low voice.

He guided his horse to the front door of my home. He looked at it with a glint in his eyes, possibly judging the look of my house. After a few minutes, though it felt like an eternity, he looked at me with a smile on his face.

"Your house looks charming! I especially like the little designs carved on the outside of it… The cow head as the doorknob is clever… This house looks like it came out of a storybook!"

I couldn't help but blush at his comment. I never thought of my house in that perspective- coming out of a storybook… That's a new one…

"I would like to see the inside of your comfy home one day…" He said.

I hope he didn't mean now…

He moved Arthur away from the front of my door and he joined my side once again.

"So… What's up ahead on the stone path?"

"If you keep going straight, all the way in the back, there would be a bridge that leads to the jungle. Shea and his 'adopted' parent Wada live there."

He gave me a surprised look.

"You mean there are _two_ people living there!"

I nodded my head.

"Yeah, but Wada barely speaks full sentences… He speaks very little… So, if you ever meet him, don't say too much too him… You can't mistake him to be Shea either- he has some sort of gecko in his mouth…"

I never understood myself _why_ he has a gecko in his mouth… Maybe they're nutritious…? But, isn't it alive? I decided not to dwell on that right now…

"The Hotel would not be too far from the bridge, it's to the left of it…"

I cleared my throat before I continued. Just thinking about Pierre and Natalie. . . Oops. There I go again. I cleared my throat once more.

"Before you reach the Hotel, there is a small path that leads to the left. On that path would be the Café and the Diner. The Diner gets crowded around dinner time and the Café is crowded on some days around lunch time. It's best to go to the Café for something light or for something sweet- like desserts. The Diner is the best place to go to for a full meal."

Will nodded his head, hopefully absorbing all of the information I told him. He looked elsewhere, and then he pointed.

"Where does that path lead to?" He asked me.

I looked where he was pointing, and he was pointing at the path between Lanna's and my house.

"That path leads to the bridge that would take you to the Meadow. Most festivals take place there."

"Hmmm…"

He guided Arthur on that path and I followed behind him. We crossed the bridge, the hoofs of the horses hitting the wood. The meadow was empty at the moment, and I saw Will look around.

"This area is pretty large…"

He then looked at me with a smile.

"How about we give the horses some exercise? Not just that, maybe I can teach you how to ride without the reins. Of course, that all depends on you."

I smiled at him lightly and said, "Sure. That sounds like fun."

* * *

**Sabrina's POV**

It's 4:50PM now… And I'm a nervous wreck… I sent the invitation earlier today, and I can only hope that he'll come…

"_What makes you think he's coming? Most likely he won't come._" My conscience stated to me.

Well, it doesn't hurt to get the things ready anyway… Just in case he does come… It would be rude of me to invite him and then not have the things ready…

I looked down at the set up things on the table in my father's small office. He's not using it at the moment… He's right now not even in the house… He's at the mountain for some odd reason. I already set up the tablecloth, the whole tea set (two teacups, a teakettle, a plate filled with mini egg sandwiches, a small bowl holding blocks of sugar cubes, and napkins- all in the same design and the pottery was imported), and the two small brown one-sitter couches I made as comfortable as possible.

I forced myself to sit down in one of them. I took a big breath and I slowly let it out- still nervous as I can possible be. My body shuttered for no apparent reason ever few seconds. My nerves felt on edge… How can I be calm at a time like this? I'm inviting the very man that I can't help but stare at sometimes.

"_Don't you mean all of the time? I still think he's not coming… Even if he does, what will you guys do?_" My conscience once again said to me.

I felt my face go pale. I didn't think that far ahead… What will we do! I felt nervous all over again.

"_Maybe I shouldn't answer the door… That is, if he is even coming…_"

I felt my face fall and despair hit my heart and my bones… I would be disappointed, but then again... It would be my fault for doing this at the last minute…

I looked at the clock hanging on the wall, beside the big picture behind my father's desk… It read 5:05PM… And I don't hear the familiar sound of the doorbell throughout the mansion. I sigh and I feel myself go on the verge of tears… I should have known better…

_Ding-Ling-Dong_

For a second, I thought it was my imagination, but then I heard the sound of the bell becoming fainter throughout the mansion. It's real!

I quickly stand up from my seat and run through the hallway until I stood in front of the door. I quickly patted myself down and then I opened the door, just a crack. I poked my head out and I lightly smiled at my somewhat expected visitor.

He blinked his purple eyes at me and then he touched the brim of his hat lightly, doing it all without saying a word to me- not that he needs to. Just his presence is enough for me.

I opened the door wider and I stepped out of my home for a moment.

"I'm so glad that you could make it!" I said to him, doing my best to smile politely and not faint right there on the ground.

He still said nothing, though I saw him clench his hand and then he unclenched it. I stepped back inside my house and then I stood behind the door, holding it. He stayed outside for a moment longer and then he slowly stepped inside my house. I gently closed the door behind him and locking it. I saw him look around with his eyes only, not moving his head at all. Being quite polite and subtle if you ask me.

"We're going to have tea over here…" I said to him in a low voice.

I saw his eyes sweep over everything once more before he followed behind me.

"_He's here! He really is here!_"

I forced myself to keep my excitement down and I stopped in front of the small table. He stopped beside me and I saw him look down at the table, his expression blank- so I can't tell what he might be thinking…

"Y-You can take a seat in either seats…"

He took a seat to the one on my right, and I took the one across from him (the table separating us).

His eyes were still focused on the items on the table. I looked at him and noticed he still had his hat on.

"If you want y-you can take your hat off…"

I have never seen him take off his hat. In fact, I have never seen him without his hat on his head…

He quickly shook his head, basically saying 'No'. I sighed inwardly. Pity… He would probably look nice without his hat on… Plus, it's common courtesy to not be wearing a hat indoors, especially when invited inside another's home… But, I'm not going to bother him about that- I don't want him to leave.

"W-Well if you're hungry, you can have an egg sandwich…"

He looked at the plate that held the sandwiches. I'm silently hoping that he'll take at least one… I worked really hard making them into absolute perfection and I arranged them on the plate as a pyramid…

I heard him sigh, it was very quiet, but I heard it none-the-less. He lifted one of his hands and took one. He looked at the sandwich, as if it was some foreign object he never seen before. After what felt like an eternity, he brought the sandwich to his mouth and took a small bite out of it.

I held my breath, waiting for his reaction. He was just being calm the whole time, chewing the bite in his mouth slowly- _very_ slowly… I felt like he was doing it purposely. I was having a hard time waiting for him to say something, so I asked him.

"H-How is it…?" I asked him, my voice shaking.

His eyes shifted to me, making me almost gasp at the sharpness of them.

"It's… Okay…" He said in his usual gruff voice, but it didn't sound cold.

I couldn't help but smile and I finally breathe in ease again.

"Would you like some tea?" I asked him.

He lightly shook his head. My face faltered.

"O-Oh… I made a special brew just for this occasion… I made a special herbal tea that is good for coughs…"

He sighed again, louder this time, but it was one of defeat.

"Fine…"

That was all he said, but it made me smile still. I poured him some in a teacup and I poured myself some.

I put in two sugar cubes in my own. I would do his, but I'm not sure how many he wants… I stirred the contents and I took a small sip of my own. I saw Vaughn put in some cubes in his own, he stirred the contents and then he took a sip of his own. I saw him shutter, maybe in disgust?

Well, he at least took a sip…

For the next few minutes, there was nothing between us except silence… I don't know what to say…

"_Told you this would happen…_" My conscience said to me, almost mocking me.

I fidgeted with the ends of my pink sweater. I'm stretching the material, but I'd rather look down at my sweater then him. He's probably glaring at me or-or- worse…

Maybe I shouldn't have invited him…

I heard him sigh out loud, probably getting impatient- or to get rid of this awkward silence…

"I saw a book titled, "All about Autism_**(5)**_." What is autism…?" He asked me, his voice low.

OH! I know this!

"Autism is basically a mental disease. The history is quite fascinating! Autism wasn't discovered until-"

I have never felt so relaxed in my life.

* * *

**Vaughn's POV**

I am still sitting here, in this mansion. At least 40 minutes went by…! I'm right now trying my best to _not_ twitch my eye. She is _still_ going on about autism and its history… What is she saying now? Well, let me tune my ears back on…

"….There are many anecdotal reports, but few systematic studies, of aggression and violence in individuals with ASD-"

I tuned my ears back out.

"_I can't take this anymore…! I need to leave anyway… Need to catch my boat back to the city…_"

I interrupted her by clearing my throat- _loudly_. She instantly stopped talking (thank Goddess!) and looked at me, confused of why I interrupted her.

"Look… I got to go…" I said to her bluntly.

She nodded her head and stood up as I stood up from my own seat. I walked down the hallway, her trailing behind me. I don't see the point, I can lead myself out. The place isn't _that_ big.

She somehow got in front of me and she opened the door before I could reach it. I stepped in-between the doorframe. I looked at her and I touched the brim of my hat. I have to be polite or I'll never hear the end of it from my aunt.

I saw her eyes look away from me and I think her face turned red- though I'm not quite sure…

"Th-Thank you for coming over…" She said, in that usual small and meek voice of hers.

I just shrugged my shoulders, not finding it such a big deal. I was about to step out, but then what she said made me stop.

"Ca-Can we do this every Thursday- at the same time?"

I snapped my head around to look at her, and I felt my eyes widen. She wasn't looking at me.

"What…?" I said, unsure if I heard her correctly.

"I-I would greatly appreciate it…"

So, she wasn't kidding- neither did I mishear her… I was planning to tell her 'No' because I always have work to do. But then if my aunt got wind of this (and she somehow always does), I decided to give a vague answer instead.

"I'll think about it." I said to her.

She seemed satisfied with that answer. She bowed at me slightly and quickly said, "Goodnight…!"

The door was closed in my face pretty much. I shook my head and turned away from the door. I walked away from the front door of her mansion. I was about to turn to go into West Town and then head to the beach, but a familiar voice made me stop in my tracks.

"I'm beat!"

That's Chelsea's voice. I only heard her because she was being loud.

I turned towards the way it came from. I saw her and Mr. Rich Boy at the end of the path- they were still on the back of the horses. They were in front of Chelsea's house. I walked towards them quietly, but I stopped a few feet short of them. Far enough to not be noticed, but close enough to hear them.

"I am too… Are you hungry?" He asked her.

"It's more like I'm starving! I missed lunch…"

I had a feeling that he smiled at her.

"Why don't you join me for dinner on my yacht?"

Chelsea looked at him and I just stood there, watching- and somehow waiting for her to respond. She finally shook her head.

"No thanks. Maybe next time." She said to him.

"I understand…"

I saw his head lower a bit, as if he was looking at Dash.

"Why don't you go inside your home while I bring Dash back to the ranch."

"That's okay! I can bring him back mys-"

"I insist."

She said nothing. She sighed a minute later, in defeat. I mentally rolled my eyes. Again, she's not putting up that much of a fight! What the hell is wrong with her? If I were in her shoes, I'd just go ahead and take the horse back myself.

"Okay… But be careful with him…"

"You can trust me Chelsea…"

She gave him a look I couldn't decipher. I saw her tightly grab onto the reins and she lowered herself to the ground, landing on her feet. She didn't do it perfectly, but she did it well enough.

"Goodnight Chelsea. Have sweet dreams… Not that you won't."

"Goodnight Will…" She said as she turned away from him and entered her house.

Will grabbed the reins on Dash and he pulled him along while his horse rode forward- and that was when I made my presence known. I casually (or as close to that as I could) walked out of the shadows and stood in front of his horse, forcing him to stop.

I didn't scare him as I expected. It was as if he was expecting me… He gave me his stupid smile.

"Evening Vaughn. Can I help you?"

I scowled at him.

"_I'll_ take Dash back to the ranch."

He shook his head at me.

"I offered to take him back, I should do it."

"Either give me the reins quietly or I'll gladly knock you off your high horse."

I didn't mean to make a pun out of it, but it strangely fits. He needs to be knocked off his high horse if you ask me.

He looked at me and blinked his eyes. In reply, he extended his hand to me that held the reins. I snatched them out of his hand. I immediately started to remove the unnecessary contraption from around Dash's mouth. After I got it off, I tossed it at him. He somehow caught it with both of his hands without falling off his horse.

"You put that on him again, and I'll put it around your head!"

His horse neighed and it stomped its hoof on the stone path- as if it understood my harsh words towards his 'master'. Will patted his horse neck gently to calm him down, and he did almost immediately.

"That depends if Chelsea wants to go horseback riding with me again or not… But, she might not need them next time. I taught her how to ride without the reins a little. She'll be very good at it with more practice… Something I'm willing to do with her, whether I have time or not. Even if I don't have time, I will gladly make time for her."

I scowled at him, along with a glare. He ignored both, making his horse move forward, away from my deadly glare, away from anger, away from me.

I didn't move until I was sure he was gone. I patted Dash's head and neck.

"That thing probably bothered you- right?"

The horse just looked at me in reply. I patted his head once again.

"Come on… Let's take you back home…"

I kept a hand on his neck, somewhat guiding him to go to the ranch. I tried to push that annoying rich kid words out of my mind… But I couldn't… Especially those certain words he said…

"_Something I'm willing to do with her, whether I have time or not. Even if I don't have time, I will gladly make time for her._"

And those words continued to echo in my head…

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_

* * *

**AUTHOR'S COMMENTS/NOTES**

* * *

**(1)** _Bridle_: This is basically the more accurate term for reins. It's a piece of equipment to direct the horse. More information on this can be found online easily.

**(2)** _Lotto tickets_: They're not called lotto tickets in the game. They're just called 'ticket' with a certain amount in front of it. Either a 10,000G ticket or 1,000,000G ticket. Both are useless and only good to ship to complete the shipping list. But, you only get like half the amount if you ship them. You can only get the full amount if you sell it back to Chen.

**(3)** _Hull_: This is the area that holds the passengers on a sailboat. It's the area that keeps the occupants above the water, to float in the water.

**(4)** _Mainsail_: The part of the sailboat that makes it moves. The 'curtain' that the wind blows on to move it.

**(5)** _Autism_: This is really a mental disorder. I used this term because I am playing with words (or definitions to be more accurate). It means:

"Autism: mental disorder marked by impaired ability to communicate and form social relationships and by repetitive behavior patterns." – From Science Daily Website [Article titled, "Rate of Autism Disorders Climbs to One Percent Among 8-Year-Olds"; Def. in Image]

Am I being smart- or being funny? :) Especially the way I'm using it. More information can easily be looked up about this psychological disorder.

_**THANK YOU ALL FOR REVIEWING (And to those that read anonymously)!**_


	15. Chapter 14, The Dreaded Ring

**Chapter 14, The Dreaded Ring**

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**SUMMER 7TH – MONDAY**

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**Mirabelle's POV**

"Julia, it's time to get up… We have to go to the meadow and set up for the chicken festival today…"

She was under the covers on her bed. In response to my voice, she pulled the covers tighter to herself and over her head. I heard her groan, annoyed that I woke her up from her beauty sleep.

I put my hands on my hips.

"Julia… Don't make me come over there and pull the covers off."

Even though it is summer, the weather yesterday was pretty cool, making the inside of my shop/home cool as well- especially during the night…

I heard my daughter groan once again, but she removed the covers from the top of her head. I saw her eyelids halfway open, her eyes looking at me.

"You can look at me as much as you want, but it's not going to make me change my mind. So, get up."

I turned away from her and walked up to the door that would take me to the back where the animals are being held. I put a hand on the doorknob, turning my head to 'look' at Julia.

"You better be up and ready about time I come back from the coop."

I heard her groan, much louder this time, but I heard the springs in the mattress, telling me that she at least moved.

I opened the door and walked through, heading to the area that held the chickens. I stopped in front of a small wired fence, and behind the fence were the chickens. I looked down at them, looking for Chelsea's, Peck, among them. I finally saw her. Peck is easy to notice because she flaps her wings, and when she does, one of her wings flaps very slowly, being awkward. It's almost as if it's limping… Well, Chelsea did explain that Peck broke a wing last season, but it healed.

"_She might lose a few points for the chicken having a damaged wing…_"

Chelsea thought it was best to let Peck enter the contest because the others, she thought, were not ready for competition. They still needed more love and attention. She thought by next year, they'll most likely be ready for competition.

I opened the fence and I picked up Peck, who was lightly sleeping at the moment. I fixed up her chicken as best as I could, without overdoing it, I don't want to have to disqualify her chicken due to possible cheating (me making her too perfect).

I left the little pen while holding Peck, making sure to close the fence first. Once I was sure it was locked, I went back to the door that would lead back to the inside of my shop. I opened the door and I saw Julia brushing her hair, her already being fully dressed. She looked at me and blinked her eyes sleepily.

"I'm still tired!" She complained while still brushing her hair.

"Stop complaining Julia. We only do a few animal festivals a year. We only have to get up early to set up."

She groaned loudly again.

"Then how about we set up the day before? At least we can do it during the afternoon and not so early in the morning."

"That's because if it's raining the day before the festival, we wouldn't be able to set up anyway. Even if it's not, setting a day early could prove to be terrible, especially if it rains on the day of the festival. This only leaves us getting the stuff out of the rain, making us get wet during the process. Other possible scenarios can happen too."

She sighed and she finally put her long blonde hair in a high ponytail. She put one hand on her hip.

"I'm ready to go."

"Good. But, I need you to get the table and such set up at the meadow. Make sure you bring the clipboard and extra pencils as well."

She sighed and got to work on getting said items.

"In fact, give me the clipboard and the pencils. I can start taking contestants chickens early. The participants just can't enter the meadow, at least until 10AM…"

Julia got the clipboard and pencils for me. She put the pencils inside my pockets and I held the clipboard with my empty arm (luckily the chicken wasn't _that_ big).

"I'll see you there later."

I then left the shop; the weather right now felt a little warm for early in the morn, but perfect enough for the chickens when they roam outside for a while.

I followed the familiar path that took me to East Town. I kept walking along the path until I reached the meadow. I looked around the large empty space, being as perfect as can be (as I have said about 2 years ago when I first held a festival here).

I kept walking until I reached the center of the meadow and then I put Peck onto the ground. She flapped her wings lightly and clucked happily while wandering around, most likely happy to be out in the open.

I turned away from her and went back to the bridge, waiting at the end of it for any competitors that plan to enter the festival. After standing out there for a few minutes possibly, I then saw a few people in the distance heading towards me.

"Looks like I have a few now."

This year's competition should be good.

* * *

**Vaughn's POV**

I just got off the boat that came from the city. I'm only here because of the 'Chicken Festival', in other words, it's like my job (part of it). If any of the chickens entered are, in _any_ way, in horrible shape, I have every right to take that chicken away and pay that certain farmer (or whatever occupation that caregiver has) a visit and see their conditions. If their conditions are bad according to my report, then I have to make sure that person doesn't get another animal and take away any other animals that are there- that is, until they either improve their conditions or sign legal papers that basically says that they won't own any animals again. Of course, the only animals this applies to are animals that would normally be on a ranch; other animals like dogs or cats wouldn't be included (unfortunately).

I was ready to head towards the exit, but a very loud and familiar voice interrupted my walking process.

"HEY VAUGHN!"

I groaned to myself in annoyance. Sure, it's about an hour before the festival begins, but I still would like to be there early enough- doesn't hurt to take a quick glance at the chickens.

I turned around, and there he (Denny) was, a little ways out in the ocean on- a sailboat!

"_Strange… The last time I've seen him come back from fishing, wasn't he in a small rowboat? Not only that, his sailboat is in his 'signature' colors- purple… And, is that a flag with a large picture of his strange bird?_" I thought.

I had to also wonder how he afforded this… I hear sailboats aren't cheap… But, maybe he was saving his money for one…?

He waved at me from the distance, the sailboat getting closer to the shoreline of the beach. I sighed to myself and walked up to the edge to meet him with my arms folded over my chest.

He finally was close enough and he practically jumped out of his sailboat.

"Yo Vaughn! How are you doing?"

I shrugged my shoulders, feeling the same as ever. His bird jumped up a little off his shoulders, as if he was greeting me as well. If I didn't know better, Kuu _smiled_ at me… I must be seeing things…

Denny laughed a little at his birds' action.

"He says 'hello' to you too."

I'll never understand how he can 'understand' that bird… Well, I guess I do too to a small degree… Guess we're similar in that aspect…

"Hey Vaughn, you think you can help me?"

"If you mean carry a ton of fish, then no…"

He chuckled at that and pointed to the inside of his sailboat with a grin on his face.

"These things aren't fish."

I couldn't help but glance at the contents inside his boat, and my eyes widened in surprise.

"Are those- treasure chests**_(1)_**!"

Denny nodded his head of course.

"Lucky me right? Not only did I catch one, but _TWO_!"

He patted the top of one of them.

"It took me awhile to drag them out of the water since they are quite heavy… I need a little help taking them to my shack."

I sighed but nodded my head to help out. He of course smiled at that.

"Thanks, man."

He took one end, holding it by the handle there and I took the other. We both lifted it and held it at an agreeable level. He was right- the thing felt heavy- even on my end.

We carefully took it out of his sailboat and started heading towards his shack.

"How much you think is in here?" I asked him.

He seemed to look up slightly, as if he was unsure.

"I don't know… I didn't even open it yet… Want to take a look?"

I shrugged my shoulders, as best as I could due to the situation. I wouldn't mind knowing- but it's technically none of my business…

He grinned slightly and said, "Let's take a look then."

We put the chest back down onto the sand and he opened it. With one glance, while not touching anything, there were different types of jewels inside it, items made out of pure gold (or silver) and some jewelry. At the very top of the pile was a gold crown etched with rubies and other jewels, nice enough to go on a king's head.

Denny picked up the crown and put it on his head. He then changed his attitude and posture slightly by looking like some spoiled person with a look that reads 'I'm better than thou'.

"I'm King Denny! My first declaration as king of Sunny Island is that everyone must eat fish every Friday! Those who don't follow this law will be beheaded!" He said, sounding completely serious.

He then pointed at me, continuing with his silly game.

"You! You dare go against my wishes!"

I was thinking about not playing along, but I gave in- at least a little.

"Your wish?" I said with an eyebrow slightly raised.

"So now you're saying you made up this law and admitting it's a very bad one?"

He made this face, pretending to be angry.

"I'll have your head!"

"Oh yeah? You and what army?"

He looked around, looking for imaginary guards (or maybe even another participate to play along with this game), but his eyes finally landed onto his bird Kuu.

"Get him." He ordered, almost sounding believable.

His bird, in reaction, looked at me and he moved closer to Denny's neck, as if hiding in fright. Denny laughed out loud (loudly), going back to his normal self.

"Ah Kuu…! You're afraid of the big grumpy man?" He said, jokingly.

I touched the tip of my hat, a half smile on my mouth.

"Damn right if you ask me." I commented.

Denny laughed again, but at my words this time.

"I guess you're right there." He said.

I looked at his bird and said what was on my mind.

"Though if you really are in any serious trouble, what's your bird going to do? Cower in fear?"

I meant that comment to sound somewhat not harsh (maybe even sarcastic), but it came out with my usual gruff sounding voice. The bird then gave me this _strange_ look, as if it was angry with me. He suddenly flew off Denny's shoulder and flew up to me, stopping in front of my face. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion.

"What is your-"

Before I could finish, the thing _bit me on my nose_! Pretty damn hard too! Since I wasn't expecting that and it hurt like hell, I pretty much yelped in pain. Before I could plan (or rather do) yank the thing off, he let go suddenly and flew back on Denny's shoulder. I held on to my nose with both my hands and I glared at his stupid bird. Denny had this surprise look on his face, but it quickly changed into a full out laugh.

"Your goddamn bird bit me! And stop laughing! It's _not_ funny, dammit!"

He stopped laughing, though he chuckled once more before he spoke.

"You pretty much called him a coward. He doesn't like that word much."

"Thanks for warning me _ahead_ of time." I said, sarcastically.

He scratched the back of his head and chuckled nervously.

"Sorry about that, I didn't think he would do that…"

I rubbed my nose a little and removed my hands from it. I tried looking at my nose with both my eyes, but it's pretty hard to see the damage done to it from that position. I saw Denny's face appear in my view suddenly.

He blinked his eyes at me and said, "The damage doesn't look serious… It's a little red, but there isn't a bruise there…"

I glared at his bird once more before I said, "Let's hurry up and move your chests. I got to hurry to the festival."

He nodded his head in agreement. He put the crown back where it was and closed the chest back. We took our ends and once again headed towards his shack. My nose still throbbed with pain, but I tried to ignore it. To do so, I decided to ask Denny a question- or questions rather…

"How did you find these anyway? And… How did you get the sailboat? Didn't you use to have a small rowboat?"

"I found the treasure chests thanks to the coordinates I took by being in Will's submarine. The sailboat is a gift from Will to replace my rowboat since he smashed it by accident… You know I might-"

* * *

**Denny's POV**

Before I could finish my words, Vaughn dropped his end of the chest suddenly, making all of the weight fall onto my side. Since he surprised me with his actions (no warning at all), I dropped my own side and the chest fell onto my toes on my left foot. I yelled in pain of course, and I pulled my foot from under the chest. I lifted that foot and held onto it with both my hands while hopping on my other foot.

"That really hurt man! Why did you do that without warning! If it was beginning to get heavy all you had to do was tell me!" I said as calmly as I could while still hopping on my other foot.

I finally stopped hopping and I put my 'injured' foot back on the sand. I wiggled my toes inside my boot, forcing them to move (and to get them to 'feel' again). They were still hurting, but at least I didn't break any bones…

I sighed in relief and I looked at Vaughn with a slightly annoyed look. But then my face expression changed into one of confusion, he was glaring at me- his eyes squinting under the shade of his hat, making his glare more intense than usual.

"Uh… Is there something wrong?"

He then folded his arms over his chest and he slightly scowled at me.

"Why are you riding his submarine so much? Let alone accepting gifts from him," he asked me.

I could clearly hear the bitterness and anger coming from his voice, making my eye wince a little from his tone. He was definitely pissed.

"Uh… Because he smashed my rowboat?" I said, looking at him with an eyebrow raised.

To me, that answer is quite clear enough, and should explain why I accepted his 'gift'. But, Vaughn didn't lighten his glare.

"In other words, I accepted his 'gift' because he insisted he'll get me a new boat. I think that justifies for what he did to my rowboat. Also, by him smashing my rowboat, I couldn't fish out in the ocean for days. So, he fixed that issue by letting me at least ride his submarine. I couldn't catch fish, but I was able to take coordinates and have a _better_ idea of where to fish."

His glare lightens a little, but not by much. Plus, the scowl was still apparent on his face.

"If you ask me, it looks like you're selling yourself out. You could have asked for another rowboat if he was replacing the one he broke. As far as I know, you're fishing skills are just fine, you don't need to use a submarine. By you using it, it's more like you're cheating…!"

Selling myself out? What is he talking about? What exactly is this about?

"Vaughn I have almost no idea what you are talking about. What's the difference between him giving me a sailboat and a rowboat? Both can float on the water and I can catch fish with both. Truthfully, I never asked him to make a sailboat for me. I originally declined his offer of making me anything, but he pretty much got it made for me anyway. I don't mind being on his submarine because I enjoy the ocean and the living creatures within it."

He scowled at me still, making me think that this conversation is really about something else and not really about me.

"I still think you should have nothing to do with him." He said, sounding bitter.

Oh! So this is _really_ about Will! I scratched the top of my head, slightly confused why Vaughn might not like Will.

"Okay… And why don't you seem to like Will? He seems very nice to me."

"Because… I think his whole act is a sham… And you're stupid for falling for it."

I titled my head to the side slightly.

"He's pulling some unknown sham and I'm being stupid for not noticing, huh?"

He said nothing, the frown still on his face.

"Yeeeah… I can see that you need to be alone for a bit…"

He scowled.

"You don't think I'm right?"

"Truthfully no… I really don't see what he has done to make you see him that way… I haven't seen him do wrong…"

He scoffed at me and walked away, most likely to head towards the meadow. I sighed.

"Hey Vaughn…"

"What!" He snapped from behind me, his voice not that far.

"You know… Many think that you're a- well- an ass to be blunt…"

I then turned my head to look at him before I continued.

"I have a feeling you know this already. But… I know you're not- at least not really… You look mean, but you're- not really… You think about that before you judge Will too soon…"

I turned away from him and I walked on the other side of the chest, the side Vaughn originally had. I began to push on it, hoping that the sand would make it slide easier. I looked sideways and I saw Vaughn just leave the beach. I stopped pushing for a moment and I sighed.

"_He really is a tough one… He's like a brick wall…_"

I shook my head slightly, deciding to go back to my task.

* * *

**Chelsea****'s POV**

"You're coming to the festival Mark?" I asked him.

He was still doing some work in his fields. He probably had a lot more work to do. Maybe asking him if he can go isn't good on my part…

He wiped his forehead, the heat from the sun getting to him (though he was barely sweating). Unlike him, I work inside the animal buildings, so I barely suffer from the heat and the sun.

"Are you okay Mark? Maybe you should take a break…"

He shook his head and continued his work.

"I'm okay… Thanks for being concerned though…"

He smiled at me lightly and then it changed back to his now 'normal' blank expression.

"I'm afraid I won't be able to go… I still have some work to do…"

He looked at me with a look of regret.

"I'm really sorry…"

I waved my hands in front of me and smiled as best as I could.

"Hey, it's okay! There's no need to apologize. I know you're a very busy person Mark."

He didn't look at me. He just continued his work with the same blank look on his face… I think I already mentioned that he has been making that look lately… It's like he is incapable of any emotions…

I kicked at the dirt below my feet.

"Today is 'Fun Monday' as well… Do you have the things ready?"

"Handing out gifts today would be bad. Most people would be at the festival… Giving them a gift at the festival would be a bad idea… It would look like bribery, and you know that could get you disqualified…" He said simply, still doing his work.

"Oh yeah… Well then, I'll see you around then…"

He simply nodded his head, still focusing on his work. I turned away from him and walked towards the exit of the ranch. I kept following the path until I reached the bridge that lead into the meadow. I walked across the bridge and into the meadow. The contestant's chickens were already grazing the grass along the meadow. Some of them were surrounded by townspeople, being viewed by their eyes and making comments along the way.

I looked around, looking for the booth that Mirabelle would be behind. I found it not that long after. I started walking towards it, but then I felt a hand grip my shoulder and I was pulled towards a person.

"Hey Chelsea!"

That's Denny's voice.

"Hey Denny. I can see that you're happy…"

"I try to be...!" He said with a smile.

He then shifted his eyes around as if he was making sure that we weren't being watched. He then leaned his mouth close to my ear to whisper.

"Hey... Which chicken is yours?" He whispered.

I shook my head.

"You know I can't tell you that. You have to vote fairly and based on which chicken you like**_(2)_**."

Denny sighed in disappointment before he released me.

"I know… But I don't want to pick the wrong chicken and you end up losing because of a small mistake on my part…"

I shrugged my shoulders at him.

"If I don't win, that just means I didn't work hard enough."

"Yeah… You're right…"

I saw him scratch under his chin and he had a thoughtful look on his face.

"You know… I've always wondered why roosters crow in the morning… Maybe it's because it's a new day…**_(3)_**" He said, maybe even mumbling under his breath.

I shrugged my shoulders. I didn't know the answer either; I've never really thought about it… Though, I have to admit that it's a pretty good question…

Lanna then appeared, not really a surprise. If Denny's around, Lanna is usually not too far behind him.

"Morning Chelsea!" She said in a sing-song voice.

She then squealed a little, but one of excitement.

"All of the chickens look _so_ cute! But, I bet yours looks the cutest Chelsea!"

She then pointed to a chicken and said, "I'm voting for that one!"

I looked where she was pointing, and to my relief, it was my chicken. I tried my best to keep my face expression blank, just in case Denny saw my reaction and put two-and-two together…

I looked away from the chicken to look at Lanna again.

"It sure does look like a nice chicken."

"It is yours- right?" She asked me.

I shook my head.

"As I told Denny, you know I can't tell you…"

Lanna puffed out her cheeks, but she shrugged her shoulders a second later.

"Oh well… I'm still voting for that one."

She then turned to Denny and they went on with their own conversation. I walked away from them. This time, I looked around for familiar faces. One of the familiar faces I saw was Dr. Trent…

I walked up to him, and I think I surprised him because he slightly jumped.

"Hey Dr. Trent. You're still here?"

I figured Dr. Trent left Sunny Island already. Since Natalie is- 'healed' and Pierre is no longer in coma, I figured he would want to go home.

"Yes I'm still here. This season was the season I was planning to visit the island anyway, for a vacation… So, I figured I might as well stay… Besides, it wouldn't hurt to make sure Natalie is okay, and watch her make a recovery."

I nodded my head in understanding.

"So, you're here because you like chickens?"

"Well, there is a similar festival like this back at home. I decided to come because it looks like fun too."

I gave him a look with an eyebrow raised.

"_Doctors have fun?_"

He must have seen my look because he slightly frowned at me.

"Doctors can have fun too you know." He said as if he read my mind.

The frown faded and he seemed to notice someone behind me.

"Speaking of my hometown, someone I know entered from the town... Ah! Here she comes now."

Just then, a girl with long pink hair with a blue headband/bow on her head appeared. She wore a dress, something similarly designed that Lanna might wear. She looked younger than me by a few years.

"Hey Doctor!" She shouted with a voice that was soft, but confident- similar to Lanna's almost…

Dr. Trent chuckled and waved lightly.

"Hello Popuri**_(4)_**. I see you've come to enter this competition."

She nodded her head, her hair bouncing rapidly against her back.

"Yeah! I decided I wanted a bigger challenge you know. It's more fun!"

Dr. Trent nodded his head and then he held out a hand towards me.

"This is Chelsea. She works on the ranch here on Sunny Island… Her partner is Mark, but… I don't seem to see him anywhere…"

I saw him look around, looking for any sign of Mark I guess. The girl, Popuri as Dr. Trent called her, looked at me with a smile.

"Hello Chelsea! You're here as a competitor?"

I nodded my head.

"That's great! I wish us both the best of luck!"

"Well, thank you for that. It would be my first time entering this sort of competition."

"Really!" She exclaimed out loud, in surprise.

"Uh… Yes… Popuri… I don't mean to pry, but how old are you exactly?"

She looks kind of like a kid. Not as bad as Pierre, but it's pretty close…

She giggled and said, "Young."

She then pouted, one similar to Eliza's.

"But just because I look like a child, I'm not! I'm a woman! Like Karen**_(5)_**!"

I don't know who Karen is, but I nodded my head to agree with her.

"Of course you are. I was just asking."

"Speaking of Karen… Is she here too?" Dr. Trent asked.

I guess he gave up looking for Mark.

She nodded her head in reply.

"She's here! But, she's at the Hotel waiting for me. She said she was too tired from the ride here to watch…"

She briefly looked sad, but then it changed back into her smile (rather quickly).

"But, it's okay! I can do fine!"

She looked around, and I saw her eyes widen- looking at someone. I looked in her direction, but all I saw was the back of Denny's head and Lanna talking to him. I then heard Popuri pout and she said, "I can't believe Kai is doing it again!"

Dr. Trent must have heard her because he said, "Wait Popuri that's not-"

But she didn't hear him. She ran where the two were and it looked like she shouted at Denny, from behind him. Denny turned around and he looked confused. I then saw Lanna get angry and she pointed at Denny, most likely asking for an explanation. Poor Denny…

Dr. Trent sighed.

"I better go explain before something happens…"

He walked up to where they were and he seemed to explain the situation to both of them. However, both girls then rounded on him. I just shook my head and chuckled a little.

I started heading towards the booth once again. Mirabelle of course greeted me.

"Since you're here now, I can register you now…" She said to me.

"Didn't you already do that?"

"I don't add your name to the list until you show up. Reasons vary, but things could happen. The weather for one."

I just nodded my head.

"That makes sense… When will the competition start?"

"I'm going to give the people about 10 more minutes to pick their 'favorite' chicken they are planning to vote on and then we'll start with the other rounds."

I nodded my head and I turned around. I then saw Julia. She saw me at the same time as well and waved at me, but also beckoning me to come over to her. Not too far from her was Vaughn, the same as usual, his arms crossed over his chest and his head casted downward.

I jogged up to Julia, but I greeted them both.

"Good morning Julia and Vaughn."

Vaughn said nothing in response while Julia greeted me back.

"I'm going to vote for your chicken Chelsea." She said to me.

"That's nice Julia… But isn't it considered cheating? I mean, your mom is the judge…"

"One little vote from me won't matter. If your chicken isn't good enough it'll just lose. But don't worry, it'll win"

I looked around the meadow again, looking at the other chickens that were entered.

"I don't know… The other chickens look pretty well too…"

"Don't worry Chelsea, your chicken will win."

She then turned her head to look at Vaughn.

"Isn't that right Vaughn?"

He looked up from under his hat. He looked at me briefly and said, "I already have an idea which chicken is going to win. Your chicken of course is a sure winner. Just trust it is all you need to do."

I nodded my head of course.

"I'll do that."

Just then, Shea came into my view, and Wada stood next to him. I haven't seen Wada in a while…

"Hey Shea."

"Chelsea! Chelsea enter?"

"Yep! I entered the competition."

Shea laughed happily and said, "Chelsea chicken best! Chelsea will win!"

"Thank you Shea."

I noticed Wada looking around and then he smiled, a wide smile on his face.

"…..Food…."

"Uh…" I said nervously, not sure how to finish my sentence.

I hope he won't eat the chickens- or attempt to… Maybe he should leave… Vaughn turned towards Wada.

"They are not for eating. They are not food." He said bluntly.

"….No…..Food?"

Vaughn shook his head.

"Not food."

Wada then looked confused after that. Shea pulled Wada away, to go elsewhere it looked like. Not that long after they left, Will appeared in their spot.

"Good morning Chelsea."

"Same to you Will."

"I came to watch the show. Since it'll be my first and all…"

He sounded embarrassed with that fact.

"Well, you're not the only one. It'll be my first time entering this sort of thing… An animal competition anyway…"

He looked at me in surprise, but he did smile.

"I'm glad to know that I'm not alone then."

He looked around briefly, just scanning the whole area.

"Which chicken is yours?"

Vaughn scowled at his 'ignorance' and said, "She can't tell you that because it'll be considered cheating."

"Oh… Well, I didn't know that…"

"It's okay. You are basically supposed to pick the chicken you like best and vote for it." I said to him, making Vaughn's statement a little less unpleasant.

He nodded his head in understanding. Then he pointed to a chicken behind me.

"Then I'm voting for that one."

I turned to look, and surprising me, it was my chicken.

"_Of course he would know which chicken is yours… He was at the ranch last week- remember?_" My conscience stated, a reminder.

I had to agree with it. Though, he really does have good memory. I might have forgotten if I only saw a chicken one time…

"Can I have everyone's attention please?"

I turned to face the booth, Mirabelle was most likely ready to start now.

"It's now time for the villagers to vote! Please come up to the booth and vote! Remember, to vote for the chicken you like, just list the number for that chicken with your initials next to it! Contestants, please come stand by the booth and wait!" She said, reminding everyone how to vote and getting the rest to wait.

I walked back to the booth and stood on the side. The voters made a line in front of the booth, ready to cast their vote for the one they think is best. Mirabelle made sure none of us contestants were too close to the booth- to convince a voter to go someone's way. Not that I would cheat anyway.

After a few minute, though it felt like forever, all of the villagers that came voted. Mirabelle hid the results somewhere behind the booth.

"And now, the contestants!"

She then faced us.

"When I say your hometown and name, please come forward and stand by your chicken!"

We all nodded our heads and waited for her to continue. She faced the audience once again.

"Our first contestant is from Green Village, Astra!"

Some middle-aged man with brown hair stepped forward. He waved lightly at the crowd, sighted his chicken, and went over to it to stand by it.

"Our second contestant is from Mineral Town, Popuri!"

She happily skipped and bounced in front of the crowd. She then stood on one leg and twirled in front of the crowd once, and then she winked with one eye and giggled. I saw Dr. Trent chuckle lightly, he's probably use to her back at home. She then did a courtesy bow and then she ran over to where her chicken was. Dr. Trent looked like he sighed in relief (glad he voted for the right chicken?).

"Our third contestant is from Sun Valley, Kendra!"

This contestant was also a woman. She looked like she was from the city though, the way her hair was cut short at an odd angle while being a strange color of dark purple (almost looking black), and her clothes weren't farmer clothes- they were normal tight jeans and she wore a loose black shirt. Her face held a blank look while she stood in front of the crowd; she looked like she didn't care… She didn't stand in that spot for long, she finally walked over to her own chicken.

"And our last contestant is from our own island! From Mill's Ranch, Chelsea!"

I walked up to the crowd, taking quick glances at all of the people. I got short waves from people I knew and some mouth off 'good luck' to me silently. And of course, Denny has to be the rare one- giving me a thumb up along with a wink. Once that was over, I walked up to the last chicken, my own, and stood by her.

Mirabelle then took a clipboard off the booth and she went to the first contestant, Astra, to do the 'Visual and Health' part of the competition. I just closed my eyes and took a _deep_ breath in, trying to calm down the excitement nerves. I slowly let it back out.

I have received mostly good comments about my chicken. Julia thinks I will win and Vaughn just says to trust my chicken and I will win… So, I will trust my chicken.

I opened my eyes once again and looked down at Peck. Peck, in that moment, looked up at me and it clucked happily, it was a low one though… I laughed at the possibility of Peck being nervous.

"You're nervous Peck?"

Peck of course didn't respond, and I looked where Mirabelle was, who was now moving on to the next contestant.

"You're not alone girl… I'm nervous too…" I whispered.

I looked back down at Peck, smiled, and said, "But we can do this…! Let's trust in each other and we'll win!"

Peck responded to that by jumping a little while flapping her wings, despite her other wing being broken. I laughed a little, happy that she thinks we'll win too.

I stretched my arms as much as I could above my head. I still have to wait for Mirabelle to finish judging the others. I didn't have to wait long though (only a few minutes- not bad) when she finally came up to me.

"Alright Chelsea! Time to judge your own chicken!" She said happily. "I really am rooting for you though," she whispered.

I nodded my head while she continued to smile at me. She bent down to take a good look at Peck.

"Her feathers are a nice shade of white…"

She put a hand on the back of the chicken and pulled lightly against the feathers.

"The feathers don't seem to be falling out, indicating good health…"

She then looked at her clipboard, as if she was forgetting something, while tapping her finger against her lap constantly.

I looked down at Peck and noticed that she was looking at Mirabelle's finger _very_ oddly… Maybe looking at it a little too much… I then knew what she must be seeing. Instead of seeing a human finger, she most likely sees a worm… Not good!

"Uh, Mirabelle… Peck is-"

But I was too late. Peck then bit Mirabelle's finger- pretty hard. Mirabelle yelped in pain and in surprise. Peck seemed to realize what she done and immediately let go of her finger. Mirabelle stood and looked at the damage of her finger. The tip of her finger was already slightly bruised, black and purple, and there was a little blood spilling from the tip.

"I'm so sorry Mirabelle! I should have been fast enough!" I apologized.

She just nodded her head in understanding. Just then, Vaughn appeared beside her (he must have been quiet, because I didn't notice him coming!).

"What happened?" He asked, getting straight to the point.

"Peck bit her finger because she mistook it for a worm…" I explained.

He sighed and shook his head.

"Should have known…"

He then bent down at my chicken's level and smoothed out her feathers.

"You're not supposed to bite people…" He mumbled to the chicken.

He kept petting her, and then I saw his hand freeze all of a sudden- unnaturally… I saw his eyebrows go downward, a frown about to appear on his face. I saw his hand slowly move to the neck of Peck and he moved the feathers around that area- but he was moving them in the opposite direction. His eyes suddenly widen and he stood up quickly, taking his hand away swiftly I noticed…

"Go get Dr. Trent…" He said quietly, not speaking to anyone in particular.

I furrowed my own eyebrows in confusion, but I decided to do what he asked. I jogged over to where Dr. Trent was and I just pulled him behind me (with him silently asking me 'What am I doing?'). I let go of his arm once I was in front of my chicken again.

Vaughn turned to look at him.

"Tell me if that is what I think it is around the chicken's neck…"

Dr. Trent looked confused, but he shrugged his shoulders. But before he could bend down, Vaughn interrupted him again.

"I suggest you to put on gloves…"

That caught Dr. Trent by alarm- as well as me. This can't be good if he was asking Dr. Trent to wear his gloves before he touches my chicken.

Dr. Trent had come prepared of course. He took out a pair of white medical gloves from his pocket and he put them in haste. He finally bent down and looked around Peck's neck, carefully moving the feathers around her neck. I saw him bring his face close to the chicken's neck; as if he was making sure what he was seeing was really there. I _really_ don't like what's going on.

He finally nodded his head as if to confirm his suspicions and he stood back up straight while sighing.

"It's definitely a form of Trichophyton. In this case, it would be Trichophyton simii."

I heard Vaughn sigh, annoyed.

"Speak clear and plain, stop showing off." He said bluntly.

I don't think Vaughn noticed, but I saw Dr. Trent eye twitch slightly in annoyance it looked like.

"Trichophyton is a type of fungi that may cause various infections of the skin, hair and nails. It utilizes keratin as a source of nourishment and therefore localizes in its pathogenicity to the skin and its appendages. In this case, it caused Trichophyton simii, which can only be caused in monkeys and poultry… To put it in plain terms, it's ringworm**_(6)_**."

I gasped in surprise.

"Ringworm…!" I _almost_ shouted loud enough for the others to hear me.

"Oh my…" Mirabelle said, as she looked at her finger that Peck bit more closely.

I heard Vaughn sigh more loudly.

"How did this happen?" He asked, not sure if it was to everyone or only to himself.

"Well, it's pretty unnatural for a chicken to develop Trichophyton simii. If it has that, I suggest you to check your other chickens for this and other infections. Also…"

Dr. Trent sighed before he continued.

"I'm going to have to prescribe medication for anyone that came into contact with your chicken. Even those that just touched it briefly, it's better to be safe than sorry… Which means I have to ask everyone that is here if they touched your chicken or not…"

He sighed once again.

"I'll have the medication delivered overnight. I want all three of you to pick up a bottle of the antifungal treatment pills tomorrow early in the morning. Follow the directions on the bottle. To be safe, whenever the ringworm disappears, if there was one to begin with, then take it for several more days to be on the safe side. And uh-"

He looked at Mirabelle.

"Do you have medication for animals in case something like this happened?"

"Yeah we do. It should be able to cure it."

Dr. Trent nodded his head in satisfaction.

"That's good, because I am not a vet… I don't have the degree to order medication for animals I'm afraid… Anyway, any questions?"

Nobody said anything, so he took that as a 'good' sign. He sighed once more before he turned and left, to go do his business. I then heard Mirabelle sigh and then she looked at me, a look of sorrow on her face. My face fell before she even said the next thing; I already knew it was coming.

"I'm so sorry Chelsea. But, I'm going to have to disqualify you…"

I wanted to sigh, very sadly, but I held it back. I instead looked down at Peck.

"I'll try again next year…" I mumbled under my breath, not sure if the others heard me or not.

I saw Mirabelle look at Vaughn.

"Borrow the keys from Julia to open the shop… Give her two bottles of medicine for free." She said to him.

I looked up to look at her face more directly.

"O-Oh no..! I can't do that Mirabelle. I will gladly-"

"It's the least I can do. I really don't want to disqualify you, but you must know that I am only doing it because you could get others sick. I don't do it to be unkind to you at all. It's okay, just take the bottles." She said, sounding very sincere.

I just nodded my head, not wanting to argue anyway.

"Alright…" Vaughn replied.

He then bent down and picked up Peck, probably thinking it was best for him to carry it since he is wearing gloves and all (even if they are fingerless).

He silently walked away, me trailing behind him as if I was a suspect being dragged against my own will…

"_It's not fair…How did this happen?_"

Fair or not, I am still disqualified and have to wait until next year…

We reached the crowd, with not only people I didn't know mixed in, but also people I did know- my friends…

"What happened?" Julia asked, the concern clearly in her tone.

Vaughn ignored her question completely.

"Give me the keys to the shop." He said, being blunt.

"What f-"

"Just give them to me." Vaughn repeated.

Julia frowned but she dug through her pockets and tossed them at him. He caught them and then walked away, going pass everyone without another word from his mouth.

I saw Denny give him a look, as if he wanted to ask, but he seemed hesitant to ask… So, I saw his eyes shift to me.

"What happened Chelsea?"

"I… I-uh… I've been disqualified…"

All of them, not just Denny, looked surprised.

"Why?"

That was Elliot's voice.

"Peck somehow got- ringworm… Didn't Dr. Trent talk to you guys?"

Denny shook his head.

"No, he didn't. He only came up to us and told us that a somewhat serious problem is going on. He just asked us to stay here until he got back. Though, I have no idea what the chicken's ringworm got to do with us…"

I decided not to tell them, some of them might panic or worse… Blame me for not knowing in the first place.

"I-I got to go guys… I'll see you all around…"

I walked pass of them, crossing the bridge to exit out of the meadow. I started to walk along the path, getting as far as to the front of Sabrina's house. I stopped walking for a second, trying to not be too upset about me being disqualified.

"_What kind of animal caretaker am I? Not even noticing that my chicken was sick!_"

I couldn't imagine what would have happened if any of them got _really_ sick… I was about to continue, but a voice from behind me stopped me. I turned around to face them.

Will stopped in front of me and he blinked his eyes, a hand over his chest, as if he was regaining his breath from running too much.

"Chelsea… Where are you going?" He asked me.

"I'm going to the animal shop to get medicine for my animals. All of them could be infected you know…"

"Including me?"

"Possibly… I don't know… Ask Dr. Trent…"

"He hasn't returned yet… I will make sure that I talk to him… What about you? Will you be okay?"

I nodded my head in response.

Just then, I heard the familiar sounds of boots hitting the stony path behind me.

"Here you are… What's taking you so long? I got to talk to you about your animals…"

The way he said that last sentence, I didn't like the sound of it- at all. I turned to face him.

"What is there to talk about? They're sick and I need to give them the medicine to cure them… Right?"

Vaughn sighed through his nose.

"Wait until we get to the ranch, then I will explain." He said to me, calmly.

"Why can't you tell me here?" I asked, trying to keep the tears from before from spilling out, but my voice still cracked a little.

He sighed again before he replied.

"Don't make me repeat myself… Not here Chelsea…"

"It shouldn't make a difference where I am at, just tell me."

I saw the familiar scowl appear on his face, along with his teeth gritting.

"Fine…!" He said through his teeth.

"It is my job to take the animals away. Since your chicken is sick, then I have to take this one away and any other animal I see fit."

I looked at him with my eyes open wide.

"_He can't do that! Can he…?_"

"_I think he can…_" My conscience replied.

"What exactly kind of friend are you?"

That wasn't me that said that, it was _Will_. I forgot he was here, most likely he heard everything just now.

Vaughn faced him and scowled while pointing a finger at him.

"Mind your own damn business! This has nothing to do with you! You're just some rich kid that had everything handed to you on a damn silver-platter all of your life! You have no right to be talking about damn friendship!"

That made Will be quiet. I saw his face go blank, but he looked slightly- annoyed? I can't tell… I finally spoke up before it could go any further.

"It's okay…"

They looked at me, in surprise, their eyes wider than normal.

"It's part of his job. I understand… I don't want him to get in trouble because of my incompetence." I said, forcing a small smile on my face to get them to believe me.

Will said nothing and neither did Vaughn, most likely not buying my false smile. Will stood there for a few more seconds before he turned away and went back towards the meadow, where Dr. Trent should be by now.

I started to walk towards the ranch, not regretting a word I said.

"_It is his job… It's wrong for me to tell him he can't do his job… He gets paid somehow… I just won't do it next time…_"

I kept walking, hearing nothing but the clanging of his boots behind me to break the silence. Not that I didn't mind it at this moment. All I want is silence right now…

I finally reached the ranch and I immediately headed towards the chicken coop. I opened the door to the coop and entered, holding the door for Vaughn. He entered and then I let go of the door. I saw him put Peck down onto the ground. Peck didn't cluck or flap her wings; she looked like she understood what was going on…

I saw Vaughn go through his pockets. He withdrew two small bottles of medicine from his pockets and held them out to me.

"Take these. Put two drops into the food for them now. Once that is done, then I will get to work concerning the animals."

* * *

**Vaughn's POV**

She simply nodded her head and she gently took the bottles from my hands. She put one into her rucksack and opened the other. There was still food left in most of the bins, as it is still early, not that close to being the afternoon.

I just stood in the same spot, watching her do her job, waiting for her to finish it. I folded my arms over my chest, her just finishing adding drops of the medicine into the second bin now. As she moved on to the next one, she gave me a quick glance.

It wasn't a long one, really brief, but it was enough for me to read them. Enough for me to see the sadness in them, the humiliation, the repulsion, the- _disappointment_. It annoyed me, and I responded with words.

"Stop doing that… It's annoying."

She didn't look at me, but she did sound confused when she asked, "Stop what?"

"Stop giving me that look. It's annoying."

She turned her heads towards me, the confusion on her face apparent.

"I'm not looking at you… I'm doing what you asked me to do…"

She turned away from me, going back to her work. I glared at her back, getting angry with her. That's always been a fault of mine, getting too angry too quickly.

"_Liar._"

She may not be looking at me directly, but I _know_ she is looking at me in her head. I can practically feel her emotions trying to strike me, hit some '_weak spot_' of mine, one I do not have. I'm not going to change my mind about this, it's my job.

"_You know… You're imagining the disappointment…_" My conscience stated, now 'talking' to me.

"_I'm not imagining it! She just did it a moment ago! And she is still doing it! Maybe not directly, but I can feel it! And it's fucking annoying!_"

"_No… The sadness was there because she's sad to see some animals taken away. The humiliation was there because she is ashamed of herself for not catching this sickness sooner. The repulsion was there because she's disgusted with herself by even 'daring' to call herself an animal rancher, being great with animals overall. The disappointment you 'see,' is really your guilt._" My conscience simply stated to me, almost in a whisper.

I had to wonder- when the hell did my conscience become so loud and talkative?

"_Why would I feel guilty about this? It's my job. I would do it with anyone else that mistreats animals, why would I be different for her!_"

"_Because she is your friend…_"

"_Friends don't pay for the damn bills at home! It doesn't put food on the table nor put money in my pocket! Now shuddup! You're getting loud!_"

I have official lost my mind. I am arguing- with my own damn conscience, it's all in my head… What's wrong with me!

"_….. The least you can do is owe her back… She took care of you when you were sick… Isn't it time for you to do the same?_"

Before I could respond, she finished doing what I asked her to do.

"I'm done…"

She looked at me, with a small smile on her face. I don't know if it's forced or not, though it looked genuine …

I finally sighed, giving up to my conscience's request. It'll probably come back to haunt me later, though.

"Never mind… I won't take them away…"

She looked at me in surprise at first, her eyes widening, before the smile on her face became one of gratitude.

She walked up to me, ready to thank me in some other form or something. But I held up a hand at her, telling her to stop where she is. She did, and she blinked her eyes at me.

"When I was sick… You said you did it because I'm your friend… You took care of me and I mentioned that it'll only be fair if I do the same…"

I touched the tip of my hat before I continued.

"Consider it as a 'debt' paid…"

I saw her blink her eyes at me, but she smiled lightly anyway, even though I just practically told her I only did it for us to be 'even'.

"I understand. Even though you didn't have to do it at all, I still appreciate it." She said to me.

I sighed and turned away from her.

"I got to go. My job here for today is done. I got to go back to the city." I said, as I got closer to the coop door.

Once I was outside, I sighed again, this one much more louder. I headed towards the exit of the ranch.

"_She's right, you didn't have to do that._" My conscience said to me.

"_Shut-up… I swear I'm getting soft… I keep this up and people will walk all over me, thinking I'm such a nice guy! Especially if this spreads all over the island… It's bound to go through the ears of my boss…_"

"_Just don't report it, and Chelsea won't 'talk'. The other residents won't even know. Just ask your aunt and cousin to keep it quiet and you'll be fine._"

I groaned, still a little annoyed about the whole thing. Not only that, Dr. Trent wants me to come back to the island tomorrow…

"_He can wait for one more day… I'll be here Wednesday, he can give me the medicine then._"

* * *

**Dr. Trent's POV**

I just finished talking to the other residents at the meadow, explaining the situation as delicately as I could and trying my best to keep a straight face. Luckily for me, most of them didn't come too close to the chicken or touch it, but I still asked them to pick the medication up tomorrow.

A whole crate will arrive overnight, enough to give to the whole village… Also putting a major hole in my pocket…

"_If I keep this up pharmaceutical companies will start sending me ads about their different types of medication._"

I'm the type of doctor that likes to use natural remedies as best as I can. The exact reason why I'm mostly found at the forest, the jungle, and the mountain top sometimes… Besides the relaxation I would get from those places, I look for any new types of plants or herbs, things of the liking. Using them to try to come up with some new cure for whatever illness it has the capabilities to cure. It all depends on what the plant is made of.

"_You might have to start charging people for your services… You know how long the bill will be for that one girl alone- Natalie? The bill will be long enough to touch the floor._" My conscience replied to me, giving me a solution that I don't like.

"_I can't do that… I love this job. I love being a doctor. I became one because I like to help people…_"

"_I can understand that. But if you keep this up, you won't have enough money to go home and you'll be broke… At least charge only 100G for the bottles of medication. It won't be enough to cover all of the expenses, but you'll get by at least…_"

I sighed, already realizing my conscience was right. It's wrong, but it's right… I guess I'll have to go around town today and tell everyone about the price…

I exit out of the room I was staying in and I saw the familiar long chestnut colored hair and the familiar gentle voice with a hint of an accent that doesn't match these parts.

She must have sensed me, because she turned towards me and gave me a small friendly smile.

"Hey Dr. Trent. I knew I'll bump into you sooner or later." She said to me.

She wasn't wearing her usual attire, like she would back at home. She was wearing a set consisting of the colors dark green, a tight jean short vest and green skinny jeans that were just above her angles, (I don't know, I don't pay attention to fashion much) and a short sleeve black shirt she wore under the vest.

"Afternoon Karen. Uh… Where are you guys going?"

Popuri at the exact time appeared from behind Karen with a small suitcase in her hand, a bright smile on her face (she is always happy about something).

"We're going home of course."

"Well what about the medication? I know you weren't there Karen, but since you came into contact with everyone here…"

She flipped her hair before she replied.

"You forgot that your wife is back at home taking care of the clinic while you're here. I'll just ask her to give me some from there. I'm sure she has some at hand."

I nodded my head. I've been so busy that I didn't even think of the clinic back at home… Some vacation this turned out to be…

She pointed to Popuri with a thumb.

"I'll make sure she takes her medication. I'll make sure we have minimum contact with the residents too."

Popuri pouted, finding it unfair that she's being treated like a child most likely.

"Alright…"

My face then felt hot, an obvious blush forming on my face.

"Tell my wife I miss her…"

Karen shook her head while chuckling and Popuri giggled.

"Don't put me in the middle of your sappy love life."

I pretended to cough to try to ignore her comment.

"Wait there for a second…"

She nodded her head and I turned back around to enter my 'room' again. I looked around the room, trying to remember where I put it… Ah! There it is! I went over to the dresser that had a mirror attached and I took the little bag off the table.

I left the room once again and I held out the item to Karen.

"Give this to Elli please… Tell her it's a gift from me…"

Karen took the small bag from me and tossed it at Popuri.

"Put that in the suitcase. The small pocket."

While Popuri was busy with that, I noticed Karen was going through the pocket on the side of her jeans. She took out something from her pocket. She held it out to me, it was a bag… I took it from her and looked inside, it was money! I gave her a confused look.

"What's this for?"

She just lightly laughed at me. But then she realized I was being serious about my question. She laughed again before she replied.

"It's money, Dr. Trent. Knowing you, you'll end up so broke you won't be able to get home. Courtesy from me and my father."

"O-Oh no, I can't take this! This is you guys hard earned-"

"Just be quiet and take it," she said, a final answer, leaving no room for me to argue.

I sighed, but I kept it. She pointed one finger at me and winked.

"I got something else for you."

She then reached into the other pocket on her pants leg. She took out a small bottle, it looked green. She tossed the bottle at me. I dropped the bag I had and just caught the bottle before it could crash to the floor. I looked at the bottle, and it looked like a drink…

"That's vegetable juice. Elli made it for you. She said knowing you, you'll tire yourself out. She told me to tell you to work hard, but don't kill yourself."

I smiled, sounds exactly like her.

"Tell her I will."

She moved a bang from the front of her hair and moved it behind her ear.

"Oh yeah… And she said she'll deliver your medical reports concerning your experiment…"

That made the smile on my face widen.

"Just don't kill anybody this time." She said to me.

I chuckled at that, remembering the experience I put that poor farmer guy back at home through.

"He didn't die you know. It all turned out okay."

"I'm just saying be careful… Don't try them out on people here."

"_Believe me… I won't…_"

She looked at Popuri from her position.

"Ready?"

Popuri nodded her head and her cheeks puffed up.

"How come you're not carrying the suitcase?"

"Because it's your turn to carry it back. I carried it here, your turn to carry it back."

Popuri pouted again, but she walked away with the suitcase in her hand. Karen shook her head, following her, but also giving me a quick wave of goodbye. I waved back, until they both disappeared outside. I bent down and picked up the bag of gold she'd given me. I turned back towards the room I was staying in, opening the door somehow.

"Elli really is the best…"

I really am happy that she'll be sending over the medical reports I was working on, including any journals I was reading- research material...

"_Speaking of research… I thought you were planning to ask questions if someone else got hurt…_" My conscience stated to me, reminding me of something I mentioned last season.

"_Yeah but… This is minor and this can happen…_"

"_I thought it was rare for chickens to get ringworm? Or are you only saying that to convince yourself that there is a logical explanation for this?_"

"_It does happen rarely but… It can still happen. After all, the chickens and the rest of the animals are roaming around on the ground and such. The chicken could have eaten something that is very- bad for its immune system._"

"_I hope you're right…_"

Truthfully… I hope I am too…

**_TO BE CONTINUED…_**

* * *

**AUTHOR'S COMMENTS/NOTES**

* * *

For those of you that might not have understood the title, the 'ring' I am referring to is the ringworm. It's called ringworm because it can easily be seen and it really shows as a ring on the surface of the skin (or anywhere else). It looks like a ring. Ringworm is actually very common among people- mostly children who don't wash their hands after playing in the dirt etc, and they are not as 'dreadful' as the title of my chapter reads. Ringworm will be explained more below (number 6). Continuing on with the chapter title, the reason why I added the word 'dreaded' is because I didn't want to call it, 'The Ring'. That title is the same title that refers to a movie that is both horror and psychological 'crazy'. As soon as I see those words, I think of that movie. I've seen the movie myself, and I'm telling you- it's crazy… Since I didn't want that type of effect, I renamed my chapter to 'The Dreaded Ring', which seems more fitting.

As for the next chapter… The next chapter, I know what I'm going to write already. I originally had 'writer's block', but it went away after I heard something. The next two chapters will be what I will call, 'fillers'. For those of you that don't know what that means, that word is used for anime shows. When an anime is based on a manga by a mangaka (Japanese 'comic book' artist) and the anime series hits a certain point, a point that is not that far from the original manga series (but the manga series is somewhat slow/behind), the creators of that anime show will make something called 'fillers'. In other words, they will make episodes that have absolutely nothing to do with the original storyline the mangaka made in the first place.

The next two chapters for this story will (somewhat) have something to do with the story, but at the same time, no. I have to add in these two chapters before I can reach a certain day where a certain event happens. I can't rush to that day because it'll be too much of a time gap. I don't mind time gaps, but they have to be consistent (to me). I can't skip like two weeks later or something like that. A few days I don't mind skipping, but a whole week or more is too much. This was the situation I kind of put myself in. I put too much of a time gap in the calendar I created, but I had nothing in-between, so, I am technically- 'winging' the next two chapters. They are not really planned… Well, they are now, but not before…

Furthermore, the two chapters will have a 'different' format. It'll be the same, but I'm going to add in something at the beginning of it before you read (and somewhat after) and I am trying to use a certain song (the lyrics) throughout the chapter. Since the whole chapter was created based on me hearing a certain song, I thought it would be best for me to use the song within the chapter as well. So, when the next chapter comes out, and you see something weird (in italics and in the center), that'll most likely be the song lyrics. Also, I will **_not_** do 'Quick Q from Review' for the next two chapters- unless it is an 'important' question of course, then I'll reply etc.

And now for the numbers:

**(1)** …_treasure chests_: In the game, the chests are actually called 'Pirate Treasure'. I think this is weird- but strangely, it makes sense. In the game, it is mentioned that people _use_ to live on the island before the rancher (Chelsea or Mark) came along, many years ago… Now, why would this be? I think that island use to be a hiding place for pirates in the old days or something. Maybe the pirates for the game were being chased by the government or something and they used the island as a hiding place (by accident?). They dodge the government somehow and they probably bumped into this 'town' of people living there. They probably took whatever they wanted, possibly killing people that went against them, and found out about the mountain (the cave), dug it up like crazy (explains the 'stairs'?), found minerals/items/jewels/ etc from the cave, put them in chests that they forced some local carpenter to make (making the chests themselves), put their money/booty into these chests- and then finally storing them onto their ship. They leave on their ships with their 'booty', only to be caught by the feds and shot down (cannons!)! Their ships sink, along with the 'billion/trillion' of chests they had. And the people leave the island to escape the horrible memories… Yep, that's the story… Even though I just made that up XD

Seriously, in the game, it's called 'Pirate Treasure', look for yourself in the game (if you have it). Another thing is that this can ONLY be caught during the Summer season. Again, this makes sense. It can't be Spring, since Winter just left before it, therefore, the deeper levels of the ocean didn't 'melt' yet (not Fall either because the cold is about to hit- plus possible storms). About time the Summer season hits, the ice/coldness in the deeper levels of the ocean should have melted/warmed-up enough to see the chests a little more clearly in the dark depths of the ocean (plus, tides happen more often during this season). During the Fall season, only 'Fish Fossils' can be caught in the ocean area- but that's another explanation all together...

**(2)** _… vote fairly and based on…_: In the game, you don't see how the competition is done. In other words, you don't know how the rules go etc. You just know hours go by and you have a chance of winning if the heart level of your chicken is at least 8 hearts. In my story, the chicken competition is based on these 'rules' (I made these myself):

- Popularity: Votes are casted by the residents/visitors of the island. They vote which chicken is best based on their reference. However, the chicken's names and the places/towns/cities they represent will not be shown. This is to prevent 'cheaters' or family members etc. for voting for only their member/friend/resident of their island (etc.)- even if the chicken looks like it is in poor condition. Each chicken will be given a number in order for the people to vote. Competitors are not allowed to vote at all. Any caught doing so, will automatically be disqualified! No exceptions to this rule!

- Visual and Health: Depending on how the chicken looks at first glance is the visual part. This is done _without_ touching it, only based on its looks. Competitors are not allowed to add accessories to their chicken to 'pretty' them up. Only their natural beauty will be allowed/judged. Any competitors caught doing this (cheating) will lose points or, depending on how severe it is, be disqualified! No exceptions to this rule!

The health part will be demonstrated based on its size (how well it is eating), the color of its feathers (eating healthy or not), any signs of illnesses (is ringworm, mites, etc absent?), and so on. If any illnesses are detected, depending on what it is, the competitor is either disqualified or not. If the chicken has ringworm or any other illness that is as severe based on contact, the competitor is automatically disqualified! No exceptions to this rule! In the case of an emergency based on an illness, please make sure that everyone that came within contact of that chicken be checked by a physician. If necessary, have the whole area quarantined and make sure said competitor with sick chicken is reported to the appropriate authorities!

- Social: A chicken is based on its 'social life'. In other words, how does it react to people? Does it act violently or does it act calmly? Depending on how the chicken acts, the chicken will either receive or lose points. This part of the competition can be done early. It can be done while the 'Popularity' one is in session. If a chicken acts too violent or any other that are considered dangerous, the chicken will automatically be disqualified! The only exception to this rule is if one of the people caused harm to it and it reacts in order to defend itself from harm. All other excuses can/will be considered.

- Happiness: A chicken is judged on how 'happy' it is. To do so, see how the chicken reacts to food given to it and other actions that will display 'happiness'. Such as, how does it react to being outside? Does it like the open space? Does it react calmly, as if it has been outside before? Or does it act 'giddy' as if it has never been outside? Depending on what the chicken does, it can lose or win points. Any competitors caught 'bribing' their chicken while this session is going on, will lose a majority of points! No exceptions to this rule!

And that is all I got… XD Seriously, I made up these rules for the chicken completion, even though I didn't go that far into it in my story. I might use these same rules for any other animal competitions, just changing it here and there and adding (or taking away) a rule or two- maybe… All well…

**(3)** _I've always wondered why roosters crow in the morning…_: That's a pretty good question Denny XD I wonder too. And here is the answer I got from online:

"That is a most interesting question and one that probably has several factors. One that is most significant in my opinion has to do with the hormone that makes all birds sing, or in this case crow. The hormone is testosterone. In the early hours of morning a rooster's testosterone level probably goes up- along with some others.

Biologists have a theory that birds sing or crow to let other birds know where they are so they can space themselves far enough apart so they don't overcrowd each other. You could think of this a defending their territory, and rooster are very protective of their hens. They often fight to the death with other roosters.

So we might interpret the rooster crowing at the beginning of the day to clear out rival males by crowing really loud and scaring them away. They do this in the daytime because they sleep at night and would not engage in battle in the darkness since they are diurnal, active in the daytime."- **_From Wiki DOT Answers DOT com_**

I didn't know the answer either… He asked a pretty good question to be honest… And yes, he DOES ask this question in the game. If he had of asked me, I would have been stumped, because I wouldn't know XD I know now though… Let's see if I can remember this in the future! Interesting right? XD

**(4)** _Popuri:_ She is a character from previous Harvest Moon games, and she goes back _pretty_ far. She is from 'Harvest Moon: More Friends of Mineral Town' (GBA; girl version), 'Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town' (GBA; boy version), 'Harvest Moon 64' (Nintendo 64; boy only), 'Harvest Moon: Back to Nature' (PS1; boy version), 'Harvest Moon: Back to Nature for Girl' (PS1; girl version; NEVER released in America), 'Harvest Moon DS' (Nintendo DS; boy version- only comes if you connect GBA game to this one), 'Harvest Moon DS For Girl' (Nintendo DS; girl version- only comes if you connect GBA game to this one). In the boy versions of the games, you can marry Popuri (obviously). In one girl version game, however, there was an exception for the main girl character to 'marry' (called the best friends system) any of the bachelorettes- this only happened in 'Harvest Moon DS For Girl', in the JAPANESE version. Once it came over to America (not sure about other countries), the best friends system was taken out for certain reasons.

As for Popuri herself, she does look like a child and can act like one at times as well (depending on what it is), but she is overall a nice person with a 'optimistic' personality. More information can easily be looked up about her. Depending on which game, her personality might be _slightly_ different. In this story (and game) she has only come over for a vacation with Karen. She usually arrive in the Fall season and stays until the end of the Winter season or the first day of Spring before she leaves (along with Karen, her sister-in-law). She has a brother back at home who goes by the name of 'Rick', they own a poultry farm. It is a little unclear if she is married to Kai in IoH.

**(5)** _Karen_: She is also from previous Harvest Moon games, the same exact ones Popuri came from (look at number 4 to see the list).

Karen is the type of woman that likes romantic things and she loves to drink wine (one of her favorite things), her father and mother, Jeff and Sasha, owns a grocery store (which is somewhat weird) in Mineral Town that she helps runs _sometimes_. She is also the type of woman that seems to like pranks. She is overall nice, but she can be quite mean as well, depending on what it is. Information can easily be found about her, depending on which game you pick, her personality might be _slightly_ different. According to IoH, she is married to Rick (Popuri's brother) back at her hometown.

**(6)** _Trichophyton simii /ringworm_: Both are the same things, just the first one is the scientific name for ringworm on a chicken and the other is in 'lamest' terms. Ringworm first of all is not a worm under the skin. It is a 'fungus' that is caused by dirt that got inside of your blood system/body. Ringworm can easily be 'cured' with an antibiotic cream. If it's somewhere more 'extreme' such as in the hair scalp, then oral medication will be required in order to get rid of it. Ringworm, as mentioned before, can be caught easily and it is quite common. They are not that dangerous and are usually easily seen with the eyes (easily 'cured' too). A 'worm' that is more dangerous is the Cestoda- the tapeworm. The tapeworm for instance isn't that easy to detect and it doesn't show itself until it has grown very long inside the human body (located in the digested tracts). They can grow up to 100 feet (about 30 meters). Tapeworm can be 'cured' as well, but they have to be detected early- or the method to get rid of it will be more painful… Believe me, you don't want to catch tapeworm. How to prevent tapeworm? Wash your hands before you eat (or when you are done playing outside etc.), take showers regularly, cook your meat (all food) thoroughly, and have a healthy 'diet'- and you'll be fine. Just by doing these alone will prevent most bacterial or fungal illnesses. If you think you have tapeworm (and you'll know when it has grown long enough), I suggest you to see a doctor- fast.

**_THANK YOU ALL FOR REVIEWING (And to those that read anonymously)!_**


	16. Chapter 15, Share The World

**NOTICE:** The song lyrics that were in this chapter have been removed. It was against the rules on FF net. I removed them to prevent my story from being deleted without warning. If you want to read it with the lyrics, go here to download it (PDF file; remove the underscores (_)):

http_:/_/_kitty868theonly_._livejournal_._com_/_12027_._html

**Chapter 15, Share The World**

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**SUMMER 9TH – WEDNESDAY**

_**SUNNY**_

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"_Summer is the time when one sheds one's tensions with one's clothes, and the right kind of day is jeweled balm for the battered spirit. A few of those days and you can become drunk with the belief that all's right with the world."_

_-Ada Louise Huxtable-_

**Chelsea's POV**

I groaned from my bed. I'm still lying in it, with the covers completely off me. It was on me last night, but at some point in the night, it got really hot for some reason! So, I must have tossed the covers off me. Thank goodness I did, otherwise I'll be sweating like crazy now!

I rubbed my eyes as I slowly sat up on my bed.

"Time for me to get ready for work…" I groaned, already anxious of what it'll be like outside.

I let my feet hit the floor and I stood up, stretching my arms while doing so. Without even thinking about it, I headed towards the bathroom, my clothes for work already in there.

About 20 minutes later, I was ready for work!

I looked at the bottle holding the medication on the kitchen counter, and decided to take them after I took care of the animals (and give them their own medication). However, I'm going to bring at least the two pills with me, that way I don't have to come back to get them…

I grabbed the bottle and opened it. I took the two pills out and put them into my shorts pockets. I made sure they were deep inside, so that they won't fall out of my pocket easily.

Once I was sure, I patted the side of my pocket, grabbed my rucksack off the table and put it on my back.

I opened my door and took a few steps outside- and I felt the power, the full blast, of the heat. I groaned loudly, frustrated.

"It's only 5:40 in the morning and it's already _hot_!"

I decided to move quickly and to try to get my work done early; otherwise I'll feel the extreme temperature of the heat.

I turned towards my mailbox, opened it and took out all of the contents. My bag of gold for yesterday's work and- the bill!

"_This time I'm going to pay for it!_"

I carried my bag of gold while looking at the bill, entering my house once again. As Mark told me last season, the bill's total was 1,000 gold. I looked at the 'directions' on how they wanted us to pay for it.

'To Chelsea:

The system to pay for a bill on Sunny Island is different than the city, but much simpler. If you think the bill amount is correct, please deposit the correct and exact amount of gold into the envelope we provided. If any information is incorrect, please call the number that is on the business card located in the same envelope mentioned previously.

Once you have put the correct amount into the envelope, please put the envelope back into your mailbox and the mailman will pick it up as soon as possible. If the contents of the envelope haven't been picked up within 5 days, please call the number that is provided on the business card. Someone from our business line will pick up the envelope on the same day.*

Thank you.

_**Please give our collector at least 5 hours or more to arrive. We are not responsible if someone steals your envelope before the collector arrives nor responsible that the collector arrives with nobody there to greet them and they leave without the envelope._'

I had to squint my eyes a little to see the typed words at the bottom.

"_Why is it that the important stuff is always put in small text?_"

I found the envelope that was mentioned. I took out the exact amount from inside the bag, put it inside the envelope, and I headed towards the door once again. I locked the door behind me and I put the envelope into the mailbox. Out of habit, I looked at the time on my wristwatch.

"WOAH! I only got 10 minutes before I'm considered late!"

I closed the lid of my mailbox and started jogging along the path.

I made it on time, and, not to my surprise, Vaughn was already there. Standing in the same position as usual with his arms crossed and- wearing hot clothes!

I gasped at his attire and he frowned at me, in confusion.

"What?" He said, in his usual gruff voice.

I pointed a finger at him.

"How can you wear _that_ and survive this blazing heat?"

He shrugged his shoulders at me.

"I don't feel hot."

"_WHAAAT!_"

Sometimes I have to wonder if Vaughn is from another planet… That could explain his personality…

I sighed.

"I want to get my work done quickly. I want to get out of this heat ASAP!"

Vaughn said nothing to me, but then he scowled.

At first, I thought he scowled at me, but I then realized he was looking behind me.

I turned around to see what he was looking at. The 'what' turned out to be Will.

He was in his usual attire (including wearing the long jacket), but this time, he arrived while upon his horse. Also, I noticed he had something strapped to his back. It could be a small pack of some sort, but all I could see from my position were the thin black straps against his jacket.

He waved at me lightly and urged his horse towards me.

"Good morning Chelsea."

"Morning Will."

Why is he always so- formal?

"I won't get in the way of your work today. I actually came by to make a proposition with you."

"Okay… What is it?"

"I had the chance to look at the calendar, and I noticed that there is a horse festival this month. I would like to participate in it… But, I have nobody to practice with… If you don't mind, we could both practice together, getting ready for the competition… What do you say?"

I nodded my head in agreement.

"That's a great idea! And then when we go against each other- it'll be more exciting!"

Will lightly smiled at me.

"I'm glad! We can practice every Wednesday and Thursday… Well, those days are best for me; does it fit your own schedule?"

"Those days are fine."

He nodded his head.

"When you're done with work, I have something for you…" He said to me.

I blinked my eyes at him, wondering what it could be.

"What is it?"

He shook his head at me.

"I'll give it to you whenever you're finished… I'm not suggesting you to rush though."

I nodded my head, but still couldn't help but wonder what he wanted to give me.

I decided to drag my wonders with me to the horse stable, deciding to take care of Dash first, and Vaughn followed behind me.

I opened the stable door, held it until Vaughn came through before I closed it gently behind him. Keeper greeted us both of course, yelping at us happily. Vaughn this time decided to give him the attention he needed while I took out the brush from my rucksack to brush Dash down. There was silence in the stable for a few minutes, only the strokes of the brush being heard throughout the stable. But, it didn't last that long…

"You're agreeing to help a competitor?" Vaughn asked me.

I didn't know what he was talking about at first, but then I figured he had to be talking about Will and me practicing together.

"Well… It can be viewed that way… But, it's not like I don't mind the competition. Even if I disagreed, we'll still most likely go against each other out in the meadow anyway."

I heard Vaughn sigh, loudly.

He most likely had some other thought in his mind he wanted to voice (or not voice it out), but he held back.

I finally finished brushing Dash down and got the food ready for them both. I put it into the feeding bins and I took out the medicine from my rucksack to add two drops of it into their food. Since I came into contact with all of the animals, who knows which ones would have it or not. So, I figured it would be best to add the medicine to all of the animal's food.

Dash sniffed at the food, possibly smelling the medicine (it's not exactly odorless). He then snorted his nose and shook his head, as if he sneezed (or refused to eat the food with the medicine in it). I patted his long nose-face gently.

"I know you probably don't want to eat it, but you have to. It's the only way for you to get better." I said to him gently.

Dash snorted through his nose. The action somehow reminded me of Vaughn. I almost laughed out loud at the image that formed in my head.

I patted the side of his head and calmly said, "Don't fuss. Just eat it. It'll only be for awhile…"

He listened to me that time, although he ate his food slowly.

Vaughn stood back straight, now not in his kneeling position like before. Keeper headed towards the door and barked at it, asking to be let out most likely.

"Eat your food first and then I'll let you out. You can run around at the meadow once I have everything done."

Speaking of animals going outside… I should let the other animals out too…

Keeper barked at me happily, probably understanding the words 'run' and 'outside'- or just the tone of my voice told him I meant well.

We then left the stable. While I was outside, I took a long look at Mark's field… And realized just how _big_ it really was_**(1)**_. Rows and rows of the field was filled with some sort of crop, while the ones I'm passing by at the moment consist of fruit trees only (I counted 12 in total).

"_I wonder if Mark has any room left to build a small fence for the animals…_"

If he doesn't… He might have a hard time picking which crops to cut down…

"Hey Chelsea…"

I turned to face Vaughn.

"Yeah?"

"I'll start taking care of the animals inside the barn, while you do the chickens. There's no point that both of us have to be there at the same time… The work can be done more quickly."

I nodded my head in agreement.

"Okay! I'll meet you over there once I'm done."

He touched the brim of his hat and walked away. I looked after him for a moment before I decided to head towards the chicken coop.

As soon as I entered, the chicken's clucked at me and Peck was being—Peck. Flapping her wings at me and clucking happily. It's weird that she can be so happy, despite her being sick and losing at the festival… Amazing that chickens can forget such things, but then again, their minds aren't that large…

I feed them their usual feed and added the two drops of medicine to the food, like before. As soon as that was over, I walked around the coop looking for their eggs. I actually enjoy looking for them; it's like going Easter egg hunting every day! It makes my job more fun than it is already!

As I found the last egg, the door to the chicken coop opened, me hearing the familiar sound of the creaking door. I turned towards the door and it turned out to be Mark.

He gave me a small smile and said, "Good morning Chelsea."

"Morning Mark! What are you doing in here?"

"I came looking for you. I want to tell you some good news."

I put the egg into my rucksack, deciding to put it into the shipping bin later.

"I'm ready to hear it."

"Mayor Avarice just called me, and he said that thanks to you, animal products are coming around more often. He said, by next season most likely, the products can be sold at a reasonable price at their local shops!"

I clapped my hands together, happy to hear _good_ news for once.

"However…"

My face fell slightly, finding it hard to believe that there was a double side to this good news.

"He states that even though the products of milk, eggs, and wool are going up, the others are not. Such as cheese, butter, mayonnaise, yogurt, and yarn."

I looked at him with wide eyes.

"I'm expected to make all of those… By hand!"

Looks like my job just got complicated… But, I saw Mark shake his head.

"That's not it. It's true that you're going to have to do the job. But, not by hand."

I then went through my memory; trying to remember what else he told me when I was first introduced to the ranch. But, I couldn't recall him making any comments about butter or the rest…

"You must have seen the shed at least once… It's right in front of the greenhouse."

"You mean that little brown looking shed or- something…?"

He nodded his head and slightly smiled.

"That's the one! That is the maker shed. Inside the maker shed are all of the machines you need to turn the products into the other. There is the mayonnaise machine for example. Just put in one egg, and a bottle of mayonnaise will come out. It does all of the work for you! And, to make your job easier, there is a shipping bin inside as well."

Wow… So it looks like I won't be working _that_ hard after all.

"The other machines for the other products will be there as well. Remember, the butter requires only milk in it, the same goes for the yogurt and cheese one… Oh yeah... Chelsea…"

"Yes?"

"I suggest you to put some of the products you get into the Improver."

"The- Improver…?"

He nodded his head at me.

"Yeah. What it does is that it increases the quality of any item that is thrown in there. I don't use it for items like jewels from the mine, only for my crops. I filled one slot of each crop in there for- bad days…"

"Bad days?"

He shrugged his shoulders at me.

"Well, storms for one. Just in case it's one of those serious storms and I can't go outside, at least the crops inside of that machine will be okay and the ones inside the greenhouse as well. I can still fulfill my quota for that season."

"How come I don't have a quota?" I asked him.

"You don't have one _now_. But when you have shipped a certain amount, then you'll get a letter from Mayor Avarice concerning your quota. My quota is to ship 100 of each crop of at least 'B' quality, except for the fruit."

"Really…? But then, how do you keep up with that?"

"Depending on the season and crops, I plant the most of the ones that take too many days to grow. Inside of my greenhouse, I plant the next season inside it. I use the crops inside of the greenhouse for two purposes. One purpose is to have it as backup, just in case I can't make it to my quota for that season, in other words, I put them into the improver. The second purpose is for food for me, I do have to eat. If I grow more than 100 outside, and sometimes I do, I either keep them or ship them. If I can't fit anymore into the machine, then I keep them. If that isn't possible, then I ship them, I'll just go over my quota a little, doesn't matter."

"You don't give them to anybody?"

"Well, there's that too. If Elliot wants any or anyone else, then yeah, I do that… Oh yeah, there's Luke and Madelynn too. Sometimes they come to the ranch asking for crops. They pay me on the spot. But, they usually only do that when it's a really busy day and they need some crops for that day. They usually order through Felicia or through the city…"

"I understand… Hey Mark, I need to ask you something."

"Yeah?"

"Do you have any room on the field to make a fenced up area for the animals?"

It didn't take him long to shake his head at my question.

"Oh… Well, I'm going to need an area for the animals to roam around in. They need fresh air too."

I saw Mark's face pale for some reason. I mentally shrugged my shoulders at his expression, thinking that maybe the heat got to him.

"Come on, let's go take a quick look at your field and see which crops should be cut down."

Mark made this strange noise. I again thought that the heat was getting to him.

I left the chicken coop with him quietly following me. I put my hands on my hips and looked around his whole field from my position. Almost every square inch was used for some sort of crop- or fruit tree…

I pointed to one row of crops and said, "How about that row? Can't you-"

"Please! Not my pineapples…!"

I wasn't facing him, but if I didn't know better, he sounded like he was _really_ upset…

"Okay then…"

I pointed to another area.

"How about-"

"I can't cut down the onions…!"

This time I turned to face him, and he looked at me with really wide eyes.

"_Wow… Mark loves his crops…_"

"Well Mark, what do _you_ suggest I do? At least one row of crops has to go. The animals _do_ need fresh air. Not to mention, a fence has to be built too."

I saw him scratch the side of his face and he chuckled nervously.

"I'm sorry, but I can't help it… I don't like cutting down my crops unless I have absolutely no choice…"

I sighed, somewhat understanding his position.

"I can understand that, but the animals really do need fresh air. If you can't- or won't rather, cut down at least one row of crops, what can I do?"

His eyes looked up into the sky, as if he was thinking. He then snapped his fingers about a minute later, an idea obviously formed into his head.

"How about I ask Gannon if it is possible for him to build a sunroof!"

"A sunroof…?"

He nodded his head eagerly, warming up more to his idea.

"Yeah! Maybe he can make some sort of lever that connects to the roof of the barn and coop! Just pull on the lever and it'll open up the roof nice and wide! It'll be operated like a… Like a garage door! Except it'll be the ceiling!"

I thought about his idea. It does sound like a good idea… He must have seen the look on my face, because he continued.

"Not to mention, you don't have to work so hard to push them back inside their respectful buildings!"

I thought about that one. I'm not worry about the work, but more about the animals. What I'm thinking is, if I bring them outside and they love it outside, they'll be hard to convince to bring them inside (especially the cows)… Not to mention, if I somehow forget to bring them back inside their buildings before a certain time…

"And, if you get a sunroof built, they can be 'outside' for as long as they want! They can see the stars! You don't have to worry about wild animals attacking them or bringing them inside early!"

The animals seeing the stars… That sounds nice…

I finally nodded my head to his idea.

"Okay! I admit it's a good idea… But, who's going to pay for this? I highly doubt I would have enough gold to pay for such additions to the buildings…"

I have been saving up my gold mostly. Mark was right, there's barely anything to do with your money once you move here… But, I highly doubt I have enough to add such additions to the animal buildings still…

"Well, I should have more than enough. My mining at the mine has been very- productive…"

His voice lowered at the last word and I saw his eyes slightly glaze over- as if he was looking at another place, a place I could not see myself…

"It's settled then!" I said, my voice waking him up from his thoughts.

He just nodded his head, the smile no longer on his face, being replaced with a blank line…

"I'll talk to Gannon later today…"

He then walked off, going back to his fields- to finish whatever work he didn't do.

I sighed after his figure. Sometimes I have to wonder if Mark is really okay…

I then heard a door open and I looked in the direction the sound came from. Vaughn was just leaving the animal barn. I saw him look around briefly before he noticed me. He walked up to me and stopped not too far from me.

"What took you so long? The chickens gave you a hard time or something?"

I shook my head.

"Mark was just talking to me about changing the products into cheese and such… Oh, and he's planning to ask Gannon to build a sunroof for the animals."

Vaughn gave me this strange look.

"A sunroof…? That's a new one…"

"Well, it won't be so bad. At least the animals can be 'out' as late as they want. They won't be as nervous about the danger outside."

Vaughn said nothing, but he nodded his head a little, agreeing with the idea.

"The stupid rancher isn't as stupid as I thought…"

"You know, he is still technically my boss…"

"I know."

He just touched the brim of his hat and did a half smile. I shook my head, but I couldn't help but smile a little myself.

Just then, I heard the familiar sound of hoofs hitting the ground. I turned my head to the side, and I could see the head of the Arthur, just now turning the corner from the fruit trees. Will was still on his back. He looked around, until he caught sight of me, and he convinced his horse to ride up to me.

"You're done Chelsea?"

I nodded my head.

"Yep! Now, I believe you owe me a reward of some sort."

He laughed lightly, not sure if it was because of my lame joke or out of politeness…

"You're right of course! But first…"

He reached into his pocket and tossed something at me before I could see the item clearly. My reflexes managed to catch the item. I looked at it and it was—hand sanitizer? I looked at him, a little confused.

"Since that ringworm crisis is going on, I think it would be best to be as cautious as possible. Please don't be offended, I'm going to apply some on my hands as well."

I shook my head, not really being offended at all. It makes sense (besides, I do take showers after work and before bed as well).

I applied the clear liquid onto one hand and tossed the bottle back to him with the other. I then rubbed my hands together as he applied his own glob on.

Will looked towards Vaughn and asked, "Would you like some?"

Vaughn scowled in reply. Maybe he took it a little more offensive then I would…?

Will just shrugged his shoulders and he put the bottle back into his pocket. He then took off that small pack off his back.

"And now…"

He reached a hand into his pack and took out- a plate covered with a white cloth?

He pulled the wrapping off and showed me- croissants!

"_Not just any croissants! Chocolate covered croissants sprinkled with shredded almonds!_"

I looked at the delicious pastry in awe.

"I asked Fu Bai to get his staff to make something light for breakfast, and he got them to make these. They may not be the healthiest food to eat, but they'll send your taste buds to another world."

I took one off the plate, trying to not grab it out of eagerness. I bit into it and I immediately tasted the heavenly sensation Will mentioned.

"I could eat a million of these!" I said, being slightly rude, since I had some food in my mouth.

Will looked at Vaughn once again and asked, "Would you like one?"

Vaughn looked at the plate for a moment, but he shook his head in answer.

"_Strange… I thought he would want one… He does love sweets if I remember right…_"

"I already ate." He said in reply.

Will shrugged his shoulders. I took another one and Will covered the plate once again with the cloth. He put it back into his small pack and put it back on his back.

"Ready to go riding now?"

I nodded my head and I heard Vaughn scowl a little.

"I don't have time to be standing around. I got work to do…" He somewhat grumbled before he walked off.

He seems to be in a grumpier mood then usual… Maybe it's the heat…?

"_That's your answer for everything today…_" My conscience stated. I had the strangest feeling that it wanted to add something else, but it didn't dare.

That's true… A more logical reason would be because he dislikes Will for- whatever reason(s)…

"Let's get ready then… You think you'll do fine without the bridle this time?"

I nodded my head, positive of my answer.

"I think I did well enough practicing last time without it for a few hours."

I started walking and Will made Arthur trot beside me.

"I think you did splendid as well."

I finally reached the stable and I opened the door. Keeper immediately ran out of the stable and Dash just trotted out behind him. I closed the stable door after them. Keeper stopped beside Arthur and began to bark up at him, happy to see him again, maybe?

"Hello Keeper. We meet again I see…"

Keeper barked at him, as if he was responding to him. Will then got off his horse (gracefully) and looked at me.

"Let me help you get on his back."

"Of course… Do you mind if I go by Gannon's shop real quick before we go to the meadow? I want to ask him something…"

He nodded his head.

"Of course Chelsea. I can wait for as long as you want me to." Why did I get the strangest feeling there was a hidden meaning behind his simple statement?

He got into the same position as before to help me onto the back of Dash. From his position, he looked up at me with a smile and said, "The sun is really shining bright today."

I don't know if he really meant the sun- or something else entirely…

**Sabrina's POV**

_I had the windows open in my room… Though, there is a new addition to it, a balcony that leads outside… It's strange because I don't remember having a balcony that led outside yesterday… I figured my father must have added the balcony without me knowing somehow. Though, strangely, the shape of the balcony looked familiar to me somehow…_

_I crawl through the window to get to the balcony outside. It took me a moment to realize that it was dark outside, but the stars were out tonight and a full moon lit the sky. The illumination of the moon and stars lit up the balcony enough for me to see everything… Well, almost everything. I looked down the balcony and there were shadows of trees here and there, where anybody could hide easily and I won't see them…_

_The thought frightened me. As I turned away to go back through my window to return into my room, I then heard a voice down below- a familiar voice somehow and yet… Unfamiliar at the same time…_

_ "Sabrina, my lady, my love, would thou not come from yonder?"_

_The voice didn't sound harsh or threatening, so I moved back to where I was and I leaned over the rail of the balcony, looking below, trying to see the face of the man who was talking to me…_

_I knew someone was in the shadows, but the person seemed to be- shy, or trying their best to hide himself. But, I didn't have to wait long… The man slowly, one foot at a time, stepped away from the shadows revealing himself to me in the moonlight. I couldn't help but gasp at the unexpected and completely surprising man down below. The first things I noticed was his shining and gentle (probably soft too) silver hair and the striking purple eyes that it made the stars in the sky dull compared to the sparkle in his eyes. And, he wasn't wearing his usual attire! He was wearing clothing from the, if I remember correctly, Renaissance Era! He was wearing a sleeveless black vest with golden-like thread keeping it closed in the front, and under the vest he wore a long white shirt but the sleeves were very roomy and the cuffs of the shirt were in ruffles (almost as if he is wearing a blouse). He wore black pants that were slightly puffy at the bottom, and the shoes he wore were black and possibly boots- but it was hard to tell from my position. However, I noticed the small cap in his hand, with a white feather sticking out from the top. I looked at him in awe._

_ "Va-Vaughn…?"_

_ "Aye, my dearest. It is I."_

_My dearest…? Wait… Didn't he say before, 'my lady, my love'… I leaned my head into my hands, them covering the forming blush on my cheeks. He just admitted that he loved me…! Not only that, he's going through so much lengths to do something for me from something I love to read in books._

_He gave me a half smile, maybe noticing my face._

_ "See how she leans her cheek upon her hands! O, that I were a glove upon one hand. That I might touch that cheek!" He said, as if he was talking to himself, as if he didn't notice me._

_I couldn't help but respond with, "Oh Vaughn…!"_

_ "She speaks. O, speak again, bright angel, for thou art; As glorious to this night, being o'er my head; As is a winged messenger of heaven Unto the white-upturned wond'ring eyes; Of mortals that fall back to gaze on him; When he bestrides the lazy puffing clouds; And sails upon the bosom of the air."_

_I almost cried to his beautiful words. I decided it would be best for me to use the same dialogue. I hope I can get this right before I faint…_

_ "How camest thou hither, tell me, and wherefore? The orchard walls are high and hard to climb, though, I will help thou climb to reach I."_

_He smiled at me, a little wider then his last one. He opened his mouth once again, but, words didn't come out… Instead, a loud ringing sound emitted from his mouth. He closed his mouth and the sound stopped… I thought I didn't hear right…_

_ "Sorry…? What thou say?"_

_He frowned a bit and he opened his mouth once again, and the loud ringing sound came from his mouth again. I leaned forward, thinking I would hear his words more clearly, but I leaned a little too far, making me flip over the rail of the balcony…_

I hit my head against something hard while I continued to hear the loud ringing sound in my ears. I slowly opened my eyes and I brought one hand to the back of my head.

I shook my head to chase away the blur in my eyes and I looked towards my bed…

"I fell out of my bed…"

I stood up slowly and looked towards the small table near the wall, where an opening was beside it that would lead to the kitchen, and the alarm clock was ringing…

"There's the ringing noise…"

I headed towards the clock and I turned it off. I then turned back around and headed back towards my bed, plopping down onto the mattress. I sighed in disappointment, now knowing that the whole thing I saw and heard- was just a dream…

"_So, it was all a dream…_"

"_How could you mistake any of that as being real? Can you really imagine Vaughn being that way and saying such words- not to mention, being dressed that way? Well, apparently you can, your head somehow made that dream…_" My conscience stated.

"_But… It looked and felt so real… I really thought he said those words…_"

I felt a little sad, but then I remembered that tomorrow would be a Thursday! That changed my expression quickly.

I'm anxious about tomorrow because there is the possibility of Vaughn coming over again for tea.

"_He didn't even give you a clear answer last time… He said, 'He'll think about it.' Which translates to 'maybe' and that mostly translates to 'no'…_" My conscience said to me, being logical as usual.

"_I know… But, he could have said 'no' to begin with… I don't think he's afraid to be- straightforward…_"

I again smiled at the thought.

I stood up from my bed and I, for the first time in a long time, somewhat _skipped_ over to my window.

I looked outside and saw the rays of the sun hitting everything outside, making the natural beauty outside stick out. Things that I would like to draw…

It's most likely hot outside, but I can't feel it due to the air conditioner being on at full power.

I walked over to my desk and took out my sketchbook out of the drawer. I pulled the wooden stool in front of my desk to the window closest to my desk (I have two windows in my room; one is close to my bed and the other is close to my desk with my own drawn picture of a rose in-between the windows).

I looked out the window again, trying to figure out what I can draw from my perspective…

"_Maybe I should draw something made up…_"

I put my face a little closer to the window and looked up into the sky. I saw the clouds slowly drifting by, blocking the blinding light of the sun for a moment.

"_Clouds are so puffy looking… Sometimes I wish I can touch them…_"

I looked at the clouds for a few minutes longer, looking for any hidden shapes within them, but I couldn't find any. I finally looked back down at the stone path, and saw something a little out of the ordinary.

I saw that little girl, the one with blond hair, walk along the path. She stopped for a moment and looked around. She then ran up to Lanna's house, getting ready to knock on her door it looked like…

I decided to look away, shifting my attention to the clouds once again.

"_They are not only fluffy… They're white too… Just like Vaughn's hair…_"

I smiled at the thought of him possibly coming over tomorrow… Already being hopeful that he'll come tomorrow…

"_What type of tea should I make tomorrow…?_"

As I thought about that, my mind slowly drifted back to the dream I had… Mostly, to Vaughn's words_**(2)**_.

"_Maybe… He'll say such words to me one day… One day…_"

Until that day comes, I'll be waiting- for as long as it takes…

**Lanna's POV**

I was standing in front of my dresser at the moment, getting ready to look through my small selection of clothing. Since I am planning to 'start up' my singing career soon, I would like to start off with a new outfit… Or rather, a new look…

But, that is when I heard a knock at my door. Looks like I'll have to postpone the outfit- picking for another day.

I turned away from my dresser, leaving the two top cabinet-like doors open and walked out of my room. I walked down the little hallway, passing by the different pictures of me (except for that one big picture of a fish). I opened the door and I was greeted by the little blond girl (she is so cute!), Eliza.

"Hello Eliza. What can I do for you?"

"I heard that you used to sing, is that true?"

I put my hands on my hips, offended by her words.

"I didn't '_used_' to sing! I _still_ sing! It's just that I am taking a small break from my career at the moment!" I huffed at her.

"Sure… I came by because I want to become a great singer too! Can you give me some tips?"

I beamed at her and giggled lightly.

"You want tips from me? You're too much!"

I then nodded my head at her.

"Of course I'll give you some tips!"

Eliza smiled at me and then she took out a small notepad from somewhere (where are her pockets in that dress of hers?) and took a pencil out from behind her ear (didn't notice it before).

"I'm ready!" She exclaimed.

I opened the door wider, allowing her to enter my home. She ran inside my home with a look of awe on her face. She stopped and looked around.

"If you're so famous, how come your house is smaller than the scared lady with glasses?"

Scared lady with glasses…?

"You mean Sabrina?"

She nodded her head.

"Well, my house might be smaller than hers, but I only have a smaller house because I don't want my fans to know too much about this place. It's like I'm on vacation, I don't want my fans bugging me while I'm on vacation- would you?"

"I wouldn't mind it! That means I am really famous and that the fans only want me to sing! They don't want other people! I'll receive a lot of attention! Attention I deserve!"

I giggled and shook my head a little. She's so enthusiastic. She's about the same age I started my singing career. She would probably one day become a great singer too.

"_Though… Hopefully when that time comes, I might not be singing anymore…_"

"Will you give me tips now!"

"Of course! The first thing you need to do is practice singing everyday! The more you practice, the better you'll get!"

She nodded her head and I saw her scribble something into the notepad. She then nodded her head.

"Uh-huh… Continue."

I put one finger under my chin and looked up at the ceiling, thinking of what other advice I could give. But, my mind drew a blank, I couldn't come with anymore advice to give her!

"Well… Truthfully, that is all I can think of…" I told her.

She titled her head to the side and blinked her eyes at me.

"Really? That advice doesn't seem that helpful… Anybody could have told me that…"

I pouted at her rude words.

"_I didn't have to give you advice at all!_"

"Can you at least show me your singing skills?" She asked me.

Those words instantly lifted up my spirits.

"Of course! It's what I do best!"

I motioned to her to follow me. We left the small hallway and entered my room.

My room is pretty small. The center of the room held a round wooden table and a wooden stool to match. I made the table more brightly colored by putting a pink tablecloth on it. The design on the tablecloth was a ribbon tied in the neat shape of a bow and surround by pink flowers. My favorite things obviously consist of ribbons in the shape of a bow and flowers. My bed is the same way; the blankets are pink except it consisted of many flowers covering the surface of the sheets and the same goes for the pillowcase. The bed frame was completely made of silver and the headboard (and the feet area) was shaped into hearts. The windows in the back, one being above my bed and the other to the left of my dresser, were covered with pink curtains as well. The curtains open at the moment, letting the sunlight into my room, to make the pink colors in my room look brighter than usual and to give my room that welcoming 'warm' feeling (cozy, to feel at home). And of course, my dresser was in the back right corner, looking very dull…

"_I need to ask Gannon or Chen if they have something to make that look—less dull…_"

I saw Eliza look around my room and then she turned to face me with a small smile on her face.

"Your room looks pretty- almost as pretty as me!"

"_Almost?_"

That comment made me frown. I worked really hard to make my room look beautiful! As beautiful as me!

I decided to disregard her comment; after all, she is still a kid. What would she know about modeling a bedroom?

I skipped up to my dresser (that still looks like a large cabinet). I didn't have to open the top cabinet-like doors, as I left them open before Eliza knocked on my door.

I reached into it and took out my karaoke machine. It's mostly white and the center of it was in the shape of a flower, pink of course. The buttons on it were in different shapes of hearts, flowers, and various other 'girly' shapes (that I like of course). My karaoke machine was custom made. A gift from the music company I worked for before I came to the island for vacation.

I turned around and put the machine on the table and turned to face my dresser again. I took out the microphone, the whole thing the color pink as well with a real ribbon tied around in it in the shape of a bow of course. The mouthpiece of the microphone was in the shape of a heart. The microphone is wireless.

I closed the two doors and turned to face the machine again. I turned it on and turned a few knobs to set it to a certain rhythm. I pressed a button to make sure the microphone was 'connected' to the machine, so that my singing voice would come out of the speakers itself (part of the karaoke machine).

I listened to the instruments play on the machine, waiting for my body to get use to the tempo of the music. I started to tap my feet to the rhythm, now getting use to it. I faced Eliza, one hand on hip while the other held the microphone close to my mouth, and my hips swinging side to side, matching the rhythm of the music playing in the background. I opened my mouth- and started to sing a song I was working on, titled 'Lollipop'. I started with the first three phrases.

I then started to slowly walk around my room, doing a 'catwalk', as if I was on stage again- live! I could practically _hear_ the cheers of my many fans and the lights shining down on me in various colors of pink and green.

I sung three more lines.

I imagined the very man that has caught my interest since I came to the island, and who has done nothing but be kind to me. And also, who somewhat inspired me to write this song.

I sung the next six lines.

I then puckered my lips a little and popped them, making a popping sound, making an 'add-on' to the song. I then brought my free hand to the side of my dress and twirled it, continuing my song.

As I sung the next four line, I then took out a picture of said man I was talking about and I quickly showed it to Eliza, only giving her a small chance to glimpse him. I continued to the next line.

_But this lollipop is mine!_

I then swiftly moved the picture away from her and brought it to my chest, emphasizing my point, while creating a small frown on my face, lightly; to make sure I keep my cute image.

I started to repeat the word 'lollipop'.

By this point Eliza was clapping and swinging her head side to side, getting into the rhythm of my song.

I sung the next five lines.

I then pretended to faint to the floor, somewhat exaggerating my words, but still making a point that a certain man takes my breath away as the song states. Eliza stood up from her seat and started to dance along with me, her having an idea where I was going with the song.

I started to repeat the word 'lollipop' again, it being a rhythm.

I then handed the microphone to Eliza, telling her to take the song home! She continued with the same words as before, except her voice had less grace, too loud (her trying too hard), and her words were off-key based on the rhythm. She began to repeat the word 'lollipop' as well.

I took a seat on the stool she had sat at just a moment ago, her still continuing to sing her heart out.

She'll probably make it one day… All she needs to do is practice more and she'll do fine in the future.

I smiled at the cute little twirls she was doing; her trying to mimic my own movements from before.

And maybe, she'll find that special someone that'll take her breath away too… Or to at least help her come up with songs of her own…

**Vaughn's POV**

"Where are you going with so much pet food~?" My annoying cousin asked me.

She wasn't acting her usual self… Well, no, that's false. She is acting even _more_ silly than usual. She's obviously in some happy mood for reasons unknown to me. She proved this by leaving her hair out and not in its usual ponytail hairstyle along with her head bobbing side to side happily, and her _annoying_ whistling to some happy tune! Not to mention, everything she is saying, is in a form of some unknown song- and I mean everything she said so far has been said in that sing-song voice of hers… It's getting annoying…!

I groaned in annoyance, ignoring her (or at least trying my best to).

"I'm leaving before I die from your happy tunes…"

She either ignored my comment or she didn't hear me- because she didn't get mad or respond to me. She must be in a _really_ good mood.

I left the shop, all my work already complete for the day.

As soon as I took one step outside, I could somewhat feel the heat waves, but it didn't bother me much (or at all truthfully).

I turned right and walked along the path, until I reached the bridge that would take me to the forest.

Once I reached the intersection that would continue to the mountains or the church and anywhere else, I stopped and looked around. I didn't see them anywhere… I guess I'll have to get their attention, though I figured the smell of the food would get their attention...

I put down the two large bags of pet food on the ground. I brought up two of my gloveless covered fingers to my mouth and whistled loudly between them.

I then waited patiently. I could hear my whistle echoing in the trees, traveling further down the forest, as if it was being transmitted through a telephone line.

I didn't have to wait long. I could hear the familiar sound of rushing feet- paws to be exact…

Not too long after hearing the sounds, I could see three furry faces of the three dogs I first met back in Spring (last season).

All three of them stopped in front of me, and started to bark at me, happy to see me again. One of them got on its hind legs and put its front paws on my chest (or as close as they could get to it); this one sticking its tongue out and breathing heavily. I ruffled its mangy black and white fur.

"Hey boy. Happy to see me or are you happy to see that I brought food?"

He barked in reply before it fell back onto all fours. I just chuckled lightly and bent down to open the first bag of the pet food.

I ripped the seam off the top of the bag, wide enough for all of them to eat out of the bag at once. Of course, as soon as I opened the bag, they all stuck their nose into the bag, all of them taking a quick sniff at the contents before deciding it was safe enough to eat.

I stood back up straight and crossed my arms over my chest, just watching them. I'm not going to disturb them. I already know how vicious a dog can get when you interrupt their meal, especially when they are starving to begin with...

I bent down once again to open the second bag; they might still be hungry even after eating the whole bag of the first one.

I stood back up straight and turned to go, but then I felt my foot get stuck or caught on something. I looked down to see what it got caught in. What my pant leg was caught in was in the teeth of one of the dogs. He bit into the end of my pant leg and he pulled on it a bit, most likely asking me to stay for whatever reason.

"I can't stay, I got to go…"

Truthfully, I have nothing else to do that is work related, but I don't feel like playing with the dogs right now.

The dog gave me these sad looking eyes and even whined to add on to the effect. I sighed, already in defeat.

"Alright, I'll stay for a few more minutes."

He let go of my pant leg and barked at me happily.

One of the other dogs came up to me and put something down in front of my feet. I looked down at the item, and it was a stick.

I looked back at the dog, and it was jumping around happily while barking at me.

"You want to play fetch?"

It barked at me in response of course. Sometimes I have to wonder if these dogs are really wild…

I picked up the stick anyway and threw it as far as I could. It flew through the air and landed somewhere in the distance. The dog ran to get it and it came back with the stick in its mouth not even a minute later.

I took it again and tossed it. This time, the dog ran after it while it was still flying through the air. It caught it as it came back down, before it hit the ground. And of course, he came back once again to hand it to me.

I did the same action over a few more times, and chuckling once in a while at their different catching 'poses'. They finally got tired of the game.

"Alright, now I got to go. I'll see you guys tomorrow, if my work permits me…"

They barked and wagged their tails happily. This time, one of them didn't grab the bottom of my pant leg to force me to stay. They ran off to their 'home'. I watched them for a few moments before I turned away and walked off.

I left the forest and walked along the path, now heading towards the beach. I needed to be somewhere else that was quiet, if I had of stayed in the forest, the dogs will come looking for me again (or think I want to play with them more).

I finally reached the entrance to the beach and I continued to walk until I reached the edge where the seawater laps at the sand edge.

If the heat effected me (which it doesn't) this would be the best place to go to. The cool water and the wind lightly blowing is enough to cool anybody off.

I looked over the ocean and I felt myself at ease (more than usual). That is, until I heard the familiar voice from a certain fisherman.

"Hey Vaughn!"

Damn it!

**Denny's POV**

I ran up to Vaughn from my shack while waving a hand at him frantically while my unoccupied hand (and arm) had a surfing board under it.

Vaughn slowly turned around to face me and I saw his eyes widened. I finally stopped in front of him, breathing a little hard to regain my breath. Kuu jumped up a little on my shoulder, greeting Vaughn.

"What the hell are you wearing!" Vaughn asked me, giving me a look that was clear disgust.

I looked down at myself. I wasn't wearing anything offensive as far as I could tell. I was just wearing dark purple swimming trunks. My purple bandana had been discarded for the moment. I left it back in my shack hanging- along with the rest of my regular clothes.

"Uh… I'm wearing swimming trunks… Something wrong with them?"

He scowled at me.

"It's not that exactly… It's more a question of _why_ are you wearing them."

I grinned at him.

"Because, I'm planning to go surfing! I can take a break from fishing a little. I don't have to fish so hard now for income reasons, I can now just do it for fun! And that is something I need right now… A break! And, I think you need it too if you ask me…"

He scoffed and shook his head at me.

"Why don't you try to surf?" I asked him.

"I'm not 'surfing'. There's no way in hell I am going to embarrass myself. Maybe you don't mind falling, but I do."

I scratched the back of my head and chuckled.

"Well, it could be that… Or are you only good when it comes to horseback riding and lassoing?"

He squint his eyes at me, glaring at me obviously.

"Don't push your luck Denny…"

I didn't take his words seriously though, because I'm too happy to really care. Plus, it's not like he would _really_ hurt me… I think…

"Well, since I want to go surfing, mind if you watch Kuu for me? It'll only be for a few minutes."

"No."

"Thanks man!" I said anyway, even though I knew he answered in the negative to my question.

"I just told you-"

Kuu flew off my shoulder frantically and landed on Vaughn's right shoulder (my left). Once he did, Kuu turned around to look at Vaughn with his large unblinking eyes. Vaughn turned his own head to look at him. He sighed a few seconds later, in defeat.

"Goddamn scary bird…" He mumbled under his breath, but I heard him anyway.

"Thanks man! You're a life saver!" I said to him.

He groaned and said, "Just please shut up and get a move on… Or I'll just leave with or without your bird on my shoulder."

I looked towards the ocean, bringing one hand over my eyes to shield them from the sunlight. I could see a small tide coming; it'll get a little larger for me to surf…

"Where did you get the board anyway?" He asked me.

I grinned at him before I replied.

"The board was leftover wood from the sailboat Gannon made me. He didn't want to waste it, so he decided to make a surfing board out of it. He gave this to me for free too, as it wasn't part of the original workload. He's such a nice guy isn't it? I have to owe him one day…"

The surfboard was in stripes of dark purple and black (can't you tell that any variety shade of purple is my favorite color?). Vaughn just shook his head again.

I turned away from him and slightly smiled to myself.

I quickly bent down at the water edge and I scoped up some of the seawater- and I flung it right at him!

And of course, I pissed him off.

"DAMN IT DENNY! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

I was faster though. I immediately dived into the water with the board under me. The board floated above the water perfectly fine and I flung my arms into the water, pushing away from the shore as fast as I could go before he _could_ catch me.

Once I thought I was far enough, I looked behind me and he was steaming-mad (seriously, I thought I saw puffs of smoke coming out of his ears). I smiled back at him and yelled over the sounds of the waves.

"If you want to kill me, you're going to have to jump in the water after me!"

He didn't do that though. He stood back up straight completely and just folded his arms. I thought I saw him glare at me… He's probably going to really kill me once I get out of the water… I can't stay out here forever… Though I can try…

I looked away from him and looked at the waves of the water. Yep, the tide was definitely getting bigger.

I swam closer to the 'middle' of the tide. I started to get up on my feet, feeling a little uneasy on my feet (I haven't surfed in a _long_ time! Hopefully it'll be like riding a bike. . .). I kept holding on to the board with one hand to make sure I didn't fall. I looked to the side and the 'tide' was becoming a 'wave', it was high now- a few feet (or more) high up.

I let go of the board, now use to the rocking of the waves and I applied my weight on the board to get it to move forward- just on time.

The wave towered over me and I could hear it splashing behind me. I looked up with my eyes and saw that it made a 'hole' around me. I looked ahead and smiled, now just enjoying the coolness of the water hitting against my skin along with the excitement pumping throughout my blood.

"_Let's see if I can remember how to 'jump'…!_"

I forced the direction of the board up the wave, it taking me high into the air…. And I succeeded!

I was so high in the air, I felt like I was flying! I could feel the air hitting my hair and my skin, not just cooling me down- but giving me this sense that I was floating!

I punched a fist into the air and screamed, "BANZAI!"_**(3)**_

Of course, that is when gravity took over. I could feel the board coming back down to the water.

"Holy shi-"

My feet somehow slipped off the board. Making me fall backwards and the board slid off from under my feet. I felt the water hit my back not even a second later.

I hit the water a little hard, as I was now underwater. I opened my eyes and looked around me, seeing nothing but the light above me hitting the surface and the waves of the ocean constantly moving. I swam back up to the surface and took a breath in once I broke through.

I shook my head and looked around for my board. It wasn't too far off from me. I swam towards it and I got back on it.

I laid flat on it, on my stomach like before, and stroked my arms along the sides- heading back to shore.

I finally reached the sandy shore, the board hitting the sand. I stood up and got off of my board and I pulled on the bottom of it to bring it closer to the shore, to make sure it wouldn't drift off somewhere.

I looked at it to make sure I'm satisfied with my work. And then, I saw a large shadow loom over me coming from behind me.

I turned around, a questioning look on my face. Turned out the person was Gannon.

"Hey Gannon! How is-"

I stopped midsentence… And realized he looked angry… I mean, _really_ angry…

"Uh… Something wrong bu- WOOOAH!"

He lifted me up by griping the side of my arms, as if I was light luggage and he lifted me over his head that I could see the top of his more than half-way bolding head.

Next thing I knew, I was being flung through the air- back into the ocean! Of course, since I was taken by surprise, I screamed the whole way until I hit the water.

Some of the salty seawater got into my mouth and I was forced to swallow a little of it.

"_What was that for!_"

I swam back up to hit the surface. I shook my head to get the water out of my eyes and I spit out any leftover seawater from my mouth.

Just then, I thought I heard laughter along with a few snorts once in a while come from the shore.

I looked towards the shore and Gannon wasn't there anymore (he must have left soon after he threw me). Only Vaughn was on the shore… I could see his hat clearly from my position, even though I am pretty far from the shore. I thought I saw him pointing towards the ocean at me and his mouth looked wide open… But, I'm not sure… Water was still obscuring my vision somewhat and my ears were being muffled by the sound from the constant crash of the water.

I put a pinky into my ear to try to clean it out a little while my other was trying to keep me adrift. About time I did, I didn't hear the sound anymore…

"_Must have been my imagination…_"

I turned towards the shore and swam back. It didn't take me long to reach the shore.

I got out of the water and shook my whole body, to at least get a little of the water off of me. Not that I really didn't mind it, it would keep me cool for the next few hours at least.

I looked where Vaughn stood and I saw that he had a hand covered over his mouth…

"_Maybe I didn't imagine it…_"

As I got closer to him he removed his hand and he had a small smirk on his mouth. I think I felt my eye twitch in annoyance.

"Hey. Do you know why Gannon did that? He acted like I killed somebody."

Vaughn chuckled and I somehow already knew that he had something to do with it.

"Yeah. I told him something and he just got pissed off at you."

"He-hey man…! I could have been seriously hurt…!"

I'm not really angry, but, anything could have happened you know…

"Well… Whatever you told him pissed him off enough to throw me into the ocean…"

"You got to admit, that was a nice throw."

"Alright now, what exactly did you tell him to make him so angry with me? As far as I know, he's mostly gentle."

Vaughn chuckled and shook his head.

"I told him that for his next birthday_**(4)**_, you were planning to break into his house and tie a small dog to his back."

Something like that _would_ piss him off… He's terrified of dogs for some reason…

"I knew he would get mad but, I didn't think he would literally throw you into the ocean!" Vaughn finished.

He chuckled once again.

"Hey now… I hope you explain it to him that it was a joke… I don't want him to be cross with me for a long time… I don't need him throwing me into the ocean by surprise."

Vaughn didn't chuckle, but he still had a smirk on his face.

"I'll explain it to him later." He said simply.

"Why did you do that anyway? Why tell him such a lie?"

Vaughn pointed to his somewhat wet shirt.

"You wet my best shirt." He said simply, as if it was the most obvious answer in the world.

"Oh come on man! What you did was _beyond_ low!" I argued, but, I ended up laughing anyway.

I have to admit, that _was_ pretty good. Not to mention, I probably looked pretty comical being thrown and falling into the water.

I stopped laughing for a moment and said with a grin, "When you explain it to him, he's probably going to throw _you_ into the ocean! And you bet I'll be there to watch!"

"Not if I run like hell first."

I couldn't help but laugh again. He's funny when he wants to be… Not to mention, a mastermind when it comes to revenge. Note to self; don't piss Vaughn off about something serious… At least, don't piss him off too much…! I smiled at the thought.

**Shea's POV**

I hunt for more food. I quiet in jungle. I take slow steps in trees and bushes. Water come from face. No animal yet to hunt.

I hear quick sound in jungle, but mostly quiet. I stop walk and look around. Hard to see in bushes- wild animal could be hiding… I see nothing…

I continue walk, but very slow… I hear sound again!

I turn with knife in hand and look hard! And I see in the semi-dark two yellow… Dots…?

"_Not dots…!_"

I jump out of way before big black cat_**(5)**_ hit me with big claws. I grab closest vine and climb tree quickly. Big cat behind me, I hear claws hit tree.

I swing vine and run on trees, big cat still behind me, trying to catch me. I hear cat growl at I.

I stop on one tree and turn to face big cat below me. I growl back. Big cat growl low and bend on all fours- ready to attack I. I wait until time to move…

Big cat jump at me and I move to the side. I cut cat ear too. Big cat growl in pain and hiss at I. I growl back in warning, knife tight in hand, red rain drip from end.

"Go big cat! I _will_ hurt big cat!"

Big cat no understand… Big cat run at I again. Big cat hard to outrun on ground… But, I run!

I run far and fast, but then I fall, trip on something! I hear big cat behind me!

I turn on back quick, knife ready and up- before big cat jump on me…

Before big cat hit face with big claws, I stab big cat stomach!

Big cat growl low again and I push big cat off to side. I jump back, knife ready again, more red rain fall off knife.

Big cat on side, red rain slowly spill from wound. Big cat growl at I low. Big cat in too much pain to growl loud…

"_Better to kill big cat quick… Better then slow dead…_"

I walk up to big cat, slow. Big cat in too much pain to hit me with big claws… I look into the big cat yellow eyes… Big cat seem to beg for dead- to I… Or, big cat beg for something else?

I lift knife high, with both hands on knife… Ready to end big cat life.

"Reow…"

That sound… Not I or big cat say… Something else- smaller…?

I turn away from big cat and move away. I look around, hard…

I approach a small bush, and big cat growl behind me, loud then before...

I look at big cat again. I wonder what made growl loud now? I look away and slowly move bush with knife. Behind the bush is small black cat… Small cat look at me and make small sound, no growl or hiss… Same sound like before…

"Small cat… Big cat baby…?"

I look at big cat. Big cat look mad… Small cat must be big cat baby…

"_Big cat attack Shea… Big cat think Shea hurt small cat…?_"

I look at big cat large cut…

"_If I kill big cat… Who take small cat…? Small cat will have no- mom…_"

I sad… Shea know what feel like no come from… Small cat will no remember when big, like I…

I grab big leaf and wipe knife- to make knife clean…

I put knife on ground. I find other big leaves… I find- five(?) big one. I pick up knife again and cut vine, make sure long. I walk to big cat slowly with vine and leaves. Big cat growl at I…

I stop no far… I put knife down on ground again. I point to I.

"Shea no hurt you… Shea help… Big cat understand?"

Big cat no respond… Big cat swing tail side to side. I again walk to big cat… Big cat no growl.

"Big cat stay still…"

I put one big leaf on large cut, to stop red rain from falling… I put on other big leaves and press down hard. Big cat hiss in pain, but no attack I…

"Big cat being good and strong… Stay strong…"

I grab long vine and tie around big cat slowly, but tight. I tie it hard and best I can.

"Shea done…"

"_But… Big cat no stay out here… Animal might attack big cat or small cat… Like big bear…_"

I look around, maybe I find home for big cat?

"Shea be back… Shea find big cat home…"

I pick up knife again and run, quickly look for home… Like a big dark hole…

I search for- minutes? Still no big hole or any home for big cat…

I see something strange… Everything bright or little dark… But, one area _real_ dark… Like night sky…

I approach very dark area… And I see dark is big hole!

I enter the big hole; make sure no animal inside- bigger then big cat… No animal inside! Perfect home for big cat! I run out big hole and look for big cat and small cat again.

I find both again. Small cat with big cat. Small cat licking big cat face… Small cat try to cheer big cat up…

Big cat look at me.

"Big cat move…? Shea find home for big cat and small cat… Follow Shea…" I said, while pointing.

Big cat understand somehow… Big cat got up slowly, and hopped(?) to I.

"Home no far…"

Big cat and small cat follow I. I take only a few minutes to find hole again. I point to hole.

"Home for big cat and small cat…"

Big cat enter hole slowly, with small cat behind it… I enter after them.

Big cat stop and look around hole. Big cat then walk again, to back of hole, with small cat behind him. Big cat lay down on ground again… Small cat lay next to big cat as well…

Why big cat leave small cat alone?

"_Maybe big cat hunt for small cat…_"

But… No food in big cat mouth… I stop big cat hunt…?

I look at big cat and saw that big cat was watching I…

"Shea be back… Shea get food…"

I run out hole and found path to go home.

Once home, Wada greet I.

"…..Back...?"

"Shea back… Shea leave again, but be back…"

Wada nod and he went back to cook Wada fish from Wada hunt.

I look around home for Shea fish… I see fish on rug(?). I go to rug and grab two big fish by tail. I wave bye to Wada and leave home.

I find hole again. I enter hole very quiet, but big cat heard me…

Big cat growled, loud in hole as it hit Shea ears.

"Big cat okay… I, Shea… Friend…?"

Big cat look at I, but no growl again.

"I bring fish… Like fish?"

I approach big cat slowly, and put big fish down on ground. Big cat look at I first, then big cat open mouth to grab big fish. Small cat open mouth on other big fish…

I sit on ground and watch… I go hungry for one tomorrow… Animals need food more…

Small cat look- happy… Big cat look at small cat with a strange look…

"_What is that look big cat give small cat….?_"

I no understand… Wada no give Shea that look… In fact, nobody give Shea that look…

For some reason… I feel- strange… The look made me feel sad… But, why I sad? How could I be sad when the small cat look happy?

Is it because, the small cat has family…? But, I have family! Wada family!

"_But no same…_" That voice in head said.

No… No same… Wada is family by other way… Big cat and small cat- _true_ family…

"_What does that feel like…? To have true family…_"

I sat in silence, watching the small cat play with fish tail…

"_Animals and humans no different… I feel pain, animals feel pain… I hunt, animals hunt… I happy, animals happy… I sad, animals sad… Animals true family… I no true family…_"

Shea only different in that…

**Pierre's POV**

I'm busy making a simple dish for Natalie. It's going to be a slight surprise because I haven't really made anything since… Well, since my taste buds disaster… And I still can't taste anything…

But, that doesn't stop me anymore! That day when I was on Will's yacht, when he first arrived, and I saw the performance of that certain worker in the kitchen_**(6)**_… Well, he inspired me! Even though he has a disability, one worse than my own, he still does what he enjoys- cooking! He does it because he enjoys cooking! Despite his condition!

"_If he can do it, so can I!_"

I continued making Natalie's favorite meal. It's very simple to make, but I want to make it as exquisite as possible! I'll at least try to design the plate it's on and arrange some types of food around it…

Even though I am making a simple meal, I feel- right again! I don't feel that misery in me anymore! Well, that's not entirely true… I still feel that ping of pain in my chest when my mind wanders to the day I found out about my unfortunate discovery. I miss the feeling of being able to taste different types of food, especially my own creations… But, that doesn't mean that I should give up! If I really love my position as a gourmet, then I'll do the best that I can with the _rest_ of my senses! I still have the skills to make delicious meals so, why waste it!

That's pretty much the conclusion I came to when I watched that man cook…

I finally finished making the meal (would be more correct to call it 'appetizer') for Natalie, her favorite thing in the world to eat for some odd reason. Even though I could make something more difficult, she loves this… I shrugged my shoulders.

She'll love it anyway! Not just that, it'll be a surprise to her that I am cooking again!

One thing I learned from my condition- is to not only appreciate what you have and to try to live life the fullest… But to do what you love anyway, even when it seems hopeless. It's better to feel happy, then miserable.

**Elliot's POV**

I was busy setting up crates to ship anything, basically getting ready for tomorrows work. I was outside in front of the house doing this… Unfortunately, my sister is with me as well…

"Come on Elliot! You're going too slow! Speed up the work!"

I sighed to myself.

Thanks to her severe injury, she can't do any heavy work. So, she has been reassigned to something else… And that's inventory… She makes sure everything is accounted for, which means she follows me around… Since she followed me around all day, she has been teasing me almost nonstop- along with hitting one of my legs with her- stick if I was going 'too slow' (according to her standards)…

I stopped doing what I was doing for the moment and looked at the stick Natalie had carefully… For some odd reason, that sticks looks familiar… Wait a minute!

"Na-Natalie! Why do you have Grandfather's stick! He needs that to- OUCH!"

She hit me with grandfather's stick before I could even finish my sentence… On the side of my leg too… I'm going to have a large red bruise there- I just know it…

"I'm _borrowing_ Grandfather's stick to encourage you to move quickly."

I rubbed the leg where she hit me.

"Some encouragement…" I mumbled under my breath.

Unfortunately, she heard me… And she hit me once again on the same leg, though a little harder than the last. I yelped in pain, but slightly glad that she missed my hand.

"Natalie, I finished all of the work. All I'm doing now is extra work and- AH!"

That time, she tried to hit me but I fell backwards onto the ground- making her swing miss me. Lucky break…

She glared at me, most likely angry that she missed me…

"Yes, you did finish all of the work. But, if it wasn't for me, you'll still be moving crates onto the ship. You'll be there until 8 at night or later! But, you finished in less." She said, with a smile on her face.

"_That's because you hit me constantly…_"

I adjusted the glasses on my eyes and stood back up. I patted my clothes to try to get a little of the dirt on my clothes off. I turned my head as best as I could and I saw a small dirt stain towards the bottom of my pants. I sighed at the mess.

"Mom's not going to like the mess on my clothes…"

Natalie scoffed and rolled her eyes, but she didn't comment…

Truthfully, Mom has been less- herself… She's very happy that Natalie is 'better', but she doesn't stay happy for long… Her true happiness turns into a false smile or something else. Her whole personality seemed to change overnight… She used to be so- caring… Not that she isn't, but… Something changed about her… I just can't put my finger on it…

I sighed and went back to preparing crates for tomorrow.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Natalie roll her wheelchair towards me with grandfather's stick in her hand tightly. I tried my best to not sweat more than I am already (it is hot outside), but it's getting a little hard to do that… After all, my sister is intimidating me with that stick, and she's right behind me…

I closed one eye in fright and forced my shaking fingers to keep moving. Hey, she's very scary when she's being- herself… Why can't she act lady-like? Like Julia or something…

I waited for the hit.

And I waited…

But, nothing came…

I opened my eye again and turned slightly to face her. She was leaning her head into the palm of her hand, a thoughtful expression on her face.

"You're birthday is coming soon isn't it? It's like after next week right…? I think it lands on a Saturday or something…"

"It lands on a Monday actually…"

I sighed sadly before I continued.

"It's not like I'm going to really open your gift. It'll just explode like the last one you gave me…"

I heard Natalie laugh, probably at the memory. I saw her look at me and she smirked.

"Who said it's going to be the same thing?"

I froze at her words… And I didn't like what other possibilities there could be for her 'present'… Somehow, I would rather have the exploding one… It'll be less of a surprise…

"Natalie!"

I stopped my work and looked where the sound came from. Not surprising, it turned out to be Pierre. Pierre was carrying a plate it looked like in his hand.

Natalie put down the stick she had and rolled her wheelchair towards him. I could hear her greeting Pierre kindly and him talking to her with enthusiasm.

"You made something Pierre? It's been a while… And you made me a fruit sandwich!" I heard Natalie say.

"Yeah! Since it's hot out kind of, I thought it would be best to make your favorite meal… After all, it is cool! It'll cool you down!"

I'll never understand how he looks forward to seeing her… But while she's busy…

I decided it was the perfect time to sneak off… I finished all of my work already, no point sticking around…

"This is _good_! Are you sure you're still sick?" Natalie asked him.

While her back was turned, I turned away from the crate I was working on and slowly tip-toed away… Even if I made a sound or fell down, their laughter and chattering would have been enough to block out the sound.

**Julia's POV**

I'm bopping my head side to side, humming a random tune while trying to cook candied potatoes- a dessert! Mom told me that she's going to cook dinner tonight, not that I mind. I'm in a _very_ good mood today! Sure, that ringworm crisis is going on, but not even that can spoil my mood. Thanks to Will's beauty spa and hair salon, it put me in very high spirits! To further prove my point, my usual ponytail hairstyle is not being used today. Today, my hair is out. And since it is long and very soft (as Elliot commented on it once- he he!), it's bouncing along while I'm bopping my head around.

Just as I put the dessert into the oven, I heard the front door open, the bell above it ringing throughout the shop.

I turned away from the oven and walked out of the kitchen area. To my surprise and delight, it turned out to be Elliot!

"AHHH! Elliiiiot~!" I screeched in glee.

For some reason, he was looking around all nervous-like. I ran up to him and hugged him real tight.

"I'm so happy to see you! I'm almost done making candied potatoes! I believe that is one of your favorite things to eat!"

"Ju-Julia…! I-I'm glad to see you too! Bu-But you're squeezing me to de-de-death…!"

I immediately let go of him.

"Sorry Elliot…!" I said, while giving him a fake sad look.

He didn't seem to pay attention to me though. I saw him turn his head towards the door before he quickly looked around and back at me.

"Pl-Please Julia…! Hide me! I think my sister is going to kill me…!"

Poor Elliot looked really scared.

I quickly pointed to the front counter.

"Hide there…!" I whispered to him.

He nodded his head in thanks and ran behind the counter I indicated. I saw him duck behind there and I ran over there to stand behind it, might as well pretend to be busy. Don't want Natalie getting suspicious if she does come by…

Not even a minute went by when the door was slammed opened. Not too surprising, Natalie's wheelchair rolled into the shop, with Pierre trailing behind her.

"Natalie? What's wrong?" Pierre asked her.

Natalie ignored him and rolled her chair forward, looking around the shop, including poking her head in the 'house' area without my permission. I ignored her actions and asked her as sweetly as possible, "Can I help you?"

She turned her wheelchair around and faced me from her spot.

"I'm looking for my wimpy brother. He tried to be slick by sneaking away, dodging work!"

I saw her look around again.

"I know he's around here! I can practically smell his weakness!"

I saw her eyes land on the back door, the area that would lead to the animals.

I smiled to myself and clapped my hands together. She turned towards me, giving me an odd look.

I knew exactly what to say to get her moving.

"Did you just mention Elliot? Your cute brother with glasses! The same one that has a cute habit of being clumsy and falling oh-so-perfectly to the ground when he trips! The same one when he-"

"OH MY HARVEST GODDESS! Enough!" She yelled in disgust.

She scowled before she continued.

"Never mind! I can see that he's not here…!"

She shuddered.

"I really can't believe you see my brother as _cute_…! Ugh!"

She shuttered once again. I saw Pierre shake his head a little.

"Come on Natalie. You can come over to my place and we can try to make something together."

Natalie nodded her head and she smiled at him a little.

"Alright… Let's go then…" She said to him with a smile.

Pierre opened the door as Natalie rolled out in her wheelchair. Pierre looked at me and quickly said, "Bye" before he left, the door closing behind him.

I waited for a few more seconds, making sure that they really left the perimeter. Once I was sure, I then bent down onto the wooden floor on my knees to be on the same level as Elliot.

His face looked a little flushed. I'm not sure if it was because of the heat or due to what I said about him moments ago to his sister.

"They're gone now Elliot. You can come out of hiding…"

Elliot sighed in relief and he stood up as I did at the same time. He coughed and looked around.

"Sorry about that…"

I giggled at his cuteness.

"It's okay. It wasn't that bad."

He said nothing for a moment. He then looked towards the 'house' area.

"Were you cooking before I got here?"

I nodded my head.

"Yep! I'm cooking candied potatoes! Want to eat some of it with me?"

He looked at me and nodded his head quickly.

"Of course!"

I clapped my hands together once and jumped up once happily.

"I'm so happy to hear that!"

I just knew today would be a good day!

**Marks' POV**

I smashed another large boulder. What came out of it were 10 emeralds, about a 'B' ranking. I might have to double check with Sabrina though…

I put the hammer down for a moment and used one hand to wipe my forehead. Pushing away the sweat but adding a little dirt to my forehead.

I picked up the emeralds and put them into my rucksack.

"_I'm going to have to leave… It's near 6PM… Don't want to be around when the earthquake comes…_"

I put the hammer back into my rucksack and I turn to find the stairs. I made sure I walked on the path that I created with my hoe (to make sure that there wouldn't be any holes). I finally reached the stairs and I took them back up, one at a time.

Since I'm not keeping my mind busy or body, my mind wandered…

That's all my mind has been doing since… Well, since that day at the mountain top… All my mind does is wander and think about the past… And that's why I have been doing nothing but mining. The work will keep my mind focused on the task at hand and it will destroy my frustration- for at least a little while…

But, no matter how many boulders I break, my mind goes right back to whatever was frustrating me. I can break a billion boulders and I'll still feel this sense of- _rejection_ and _emptiness_ inside me… I don't feel as- happy anymore…

I sighed, more frustrated than I already was.

I finally found the exit of the mine and I left, carefully of course (don't want to fall down a hole unexpected).

I felt slightly refreshed once I hit the outdoors. It felt a little cooler compared to the stuffy and dreary mine.

I stretched my arms above my head, as far as they could go, at least until I heard that small crack along my back and neck. I relaxed my arms by my side and looked up into the sky. Since the season is summer, it takes a little more time for the sky to turn dark. Half of the sky was still painted with the dark colors of orange and yellow and the other half was the dark night sky with the stars beginning to peek from it… But overall, it still looked beautiful…

I looked straight ahead and-

"Holy crap!"

Witch Princess was leaning against a tree with her arms lightly folded. She smiled at me lightly and chuckled.

"You scared me…! I didn't notice- when did you… Never mind…"

She chuckled again and then I saw her face become slightly serious.

"You know Mark… It has been awhile since you last saw me… Not even for your stupid 'Fun Mondays,' as you call them..."

She unfolded her arms and looked at her hand, as if she was looking at her nails.

"I may hate the sound of that event you made up… But I do enjoy the free gifts…"

She then looked at me; her eyes seemed to squint a bit.

"You got bored of witches or something?"

I shook my head and chuckled nervously. I don't want her to angry with me; she might turn me into a frog or something…

"I'm not bored exactly. It's just that I've been busy…"

"Uh-huh… Busy doing nothing but breaking big rocks all day. A waste of time if you ask me. All this time you come up here and not once have you stopped by… Seems pretty suspicious if you ask me."

"Well for one, I'm mining a lot because the Mining Festival is this season! It's on the 15th I believe… I would like to win, so, that's why I'm working so hard inside the mine."

What I said to her was at least a _little_ of the truth.

She just looked at me, her eyes not blinking. I just looked at her back, trying my best to not look away or down or anywhere to make her think that I am lying.

She finally looked away, making me quietly sigh in relief to myself.

"If you say so Mark… Is bad stuff still going on? I still feel little tiny shocks go through me. I felt one not too long ago… I don't remember the day, but I felt the shock."

I thought she was talking about the ringworm crisis, she had to be. I wasn't there, but I was required to get a bottle of the pills as well…

"I guess you can say that… But, it's nothing major… Just ringworm is all… Anybody can get that…"

For some reason, she found what I said humorous. She actually covered her mouth a little giggled.

"Ringworm huh? It must have been _really_ small, considering that I think the whole town is part of the crisis right?"

My eye winced involuntary. She must have seen it, because she giggled again.

"I would love to stay and chat longer, but I still have a serious issue to resolve. I'll be seeing you around Mark… Hopefully."

She turned away from me and headed back to her home.

I shook my head. There are times I don't even understand her… She is nice, though, once you get to know her.

I sighed and turned away, ready to head down the mountain to go home. But, for some unknown reason, I was urged to look the way where the path would lead to the mountain top.

I have been avoiding the mountain top like the plague for- obvious reasons… Just by going up there makes my chest tighten in pain; it makes breathing more difficult… It's like I'm suffocating up there. The mountain top used to be the best place to go to for me to take a deep breath and just view the scenery miles away… But now, I see it as a gloomy place. I see it as being- _ugly_… That sounds strange in itself… How can I see something natural as ugly?

I kept my eyes towards that path. And through some mysterious force, my feet were taking me in that direction.

Each step I took, I could already feel the heaviness of my heart, my breath slowly laboring, and my feet feeling like lead. I could hear a very loud voice in my head telling me to turn away and go home, but what was the loudest was that faint voice in my head that told me to keep going, don't turn back, no matter what!

Since I was listening to that second voice, each step I was taking was becoming somewhat less difficult then the last. And without even knowing how, I finally reached the mountain top.

As if it was the first time me being there, the sight momentarily took my breath away… How could I have called this place- ugly…?

The mixed colors in the sky along with the miles of green from the top of trees made it look very stunning!

I looked up into the sky, and I saw- a star… It was very bright, and it looked like it was the only one up there at the moment. The others hadn't come out yet…

I chuckled to myself lightly. The bright star, in a strange way, reminded me of an old childhood memory.

I remember when I was younger, when my mom was alive; she read me this book concerning stars… To be specific, wishing on a star.

I chuckled at the childish memory. Wishing on a star doesn't really work. That's just something that happens in fairytales. Just wishing on a star doesn't get you whatever you want… You have to work for it too. Sure, maybe the star can get you halfway there, but it comes down to you… You don't work hard, you get nothing in return.

I looked down at the star closely…

"Are you watching me Mom? Do you see me from your position? Can you hear the heartache that I have?"

Of course there wasn't a response, not that I really expected one…

I sighed, a little sadly.

"I wish you were here to give me some advice…" I mumbled under my breath.

At that moment, a strong wind blew from behind me. I don't know where it came from, because there was no wind before… But, the wind blew hard from behind me. It didn't blow hard enough to make me fall forward to my doom. However, it did blow away a few leaves, and I saw them dance along on the wind- being carried further and further away… Except for one leaf… It got caught under my foot…

I bent down and gently pulled the leaf from under my foot. I stood back up and slowly let it go, making it join the other leaves in their dance.

I couldn't help but smile a little.

I guess I should just be happy that I am healthy and well… That I haven't fallen down so hard that I _can't_ move on…

Maybe coming up here wasn't so bad after all… Maybe tomorrow will be a better day… I should try to look forward to the future and just wait patiently… After all, she did say winter- right? As long as I believe in that, I'll be fine…

All I have to do is keep believing…

Just keep believing…

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_

**AUTHOR'S COMMENTS/NOTES**

So, what you think of the 'new' format? Most likely, I'll go back to the 'old' format after the next chapter. But, since this chapter and the next will be 'fillers', I wanted to make them 'stick out' somehow. So, I added a quote in the beginning of it and added the type of weather it is under the date. That should be enough to make it stick out from the rest- right?

Anyway, fun chapter right? I didn't think there was a need to add a 'BONUS', as this whole chapter is like a 'BONUS', since it almost has every character's POV.

The title of this chapter, 'Share The World' is based on the title of an anime song that I listened to- for an opening of an anime series… XD The lyrics I used for this chapter is the translation of the Japanese song, but I thought it would work. The song was featured in the anime series 'One Piece' (based on the manga series created by Eiichiro Oda), sung by DBSK (AKA Tohoshinki/TVXQ). It's the 11th opening for the series, the newest one (as of in this time and age). I just watched it a few times- and this idea for this chapter just _rushed_ to me! Originally, I didn't know what to write as a 'filler' chapter, but then watching that opening- gave me the idea. For any of you interested, you can easily find this opening and watch it. Remember though, the music is going to be in Japanese and the opening is approximately 2 minutes and 30 seconds. A long length for an opening song… They are usually a minute or close to being 2 minutes, but not many are over…

Anyway, in the song itself (well, the 'movie' for the song really), it starts off serious, then it becomes humorous, it slowly turns serious again, but in the end- it stops with a 'cheerful'/'happy' and possibly hope type of thing. I barely changed the words of the song at all or added words to it. I did add a word or two here and there, but I only did that to make it clearer. In this chapter itself, I tried to go for what the 'movie' went by-with each character's POV. Speaking of their POV's, I'm going to mention my comments/notes on each one… For the lyrics of the song I mentioned, that will appear after the 'Fun Facts' and no, the song isn't a 'love' song…

_Chelsea's POV:_ Her POV isn't really serious at all or out of the ordinary. It's the same. It's just the start of her day at work and once again, hanging with Will… Why does that sound odd…? Anyway, nothing really special here. A few things happened, but nothing that important…

_Sabrina's POV:_ _Tries not to laugh, but fails miserably_ XD The whole dream thing, SERIOUSLY made me laugh so hard! Seriously, can you imagine Vaughn saying such lines that are _way_ too romantic even for him to be saying? Yeah, she's dreaming…! For some odd reason, there are a few people out there that say one of Sabrina's heart events with Vaughn reminds them of Romeo and Juliet… I mean really (seriously?)… I just added one of the most famous lines in that play- and it just looks _wrong_. Sure, Sabrina can possibly be seen saying such words- but Vaughn? I think somebody is on crack or some other drug that just is not good for you XD I bet I'm making Shakespeare rolling in his grave in agony. He's probably very angry with me for using his play for such nonsense! Pfft… He'll live- somehow… Anyway, I originally had Sabrina's POV much shorter and the dream wasn't part of it. But, my genius subconscious came up with the idea at the last minute. Since I found the idea just so funny, I 'wrote' that part. So, those of you into that, yay for you! It probably won't happen again—I'll make sure of that… XD

_Lanna's POV:_ This one was fun to write! I made Eliza come over because I haven't really used her much in the story (Lanna too I guess). Since she is just cute in her little way, I added her into Lanna's POV. With her, she gave me an excuse to make Lanna sing in the chapter. The song that Lanna sang was chosen based on two things. First, it does sound like the type of song she would sing. Second, I think there is a small slideshow/video of Lanna 'singing' this song (or the song being used for Lanna) somewhere on youtube- I think… Anyway, I still think it's the type of song she would sing. So, I had fun doing this POV. I think it was humorous and cute in a way.

_Vaughn's POV:_ I had a slight hard time doing his POV… I mean I _really_ had a hard time. His POV was originally short and very- well, boring… So, what I did was go through my past chapters for a possible idea- and the dogs came into the picture. So, I used them and viola! His current POV was born! If you ask me, it sounds better and it shows the more 'fun' side of him. His isn't too serious. I thought the whole thing was cute in a way. Plus, by using him, I was able to extend the POV of Denny's due to him.

_Denny's POV:_ I had TONS of fun doing this one! I was laughing myself at the things I made him do. And yes, I always imagined Denny surfing. He just seems to be that type of person! I had this image in my head for a little bit… Plus, since I was using the music form above… In the video itself, one of the characters in the video (Monkey D. Luffy; AKA as just Luffy/Rufi) was surfing! XD So, all I did pretty much was replace that character with Denny. But, if you think about it, it worked! Denny brought the fun out of the chapter more than the others (at least to me). He brought a smile to my face. He just has that personality that does that- and I wanted to bring that out of him! And of course, adding Gannon had to be done- he made it fun too! As for the imaginary laughing that Denny heard, along with a snort- that was really Vaughn laughing XD I figured that there must be a 'logical' reason for why he doesn't laugh. So, I thought it had to be because- maybe he snorts when he laughs or he sounds funny! XD Seriously, if you had a weird way of laughing- you wouldn't be laughing much either… XD Plus, it's just funny to imagine Vaughn laughing with a snort escaping once in awhile. XD Hey, at least I didn't say he laughed with a weird high pitch, as if he's on helium (used to blow up balloons, to make them float) or laughs like a hyena! XD

_Shea's POV:_ This is technically a serious POV. I wanted a POV that was 'violent' due to misunderstanding. For those of you that might not have understood, Shea was out hunting. What happened is that both Shea and the mother 'big cat' (as Shea would put it) were hunting at the same time. But, the problem is that Shea was going too close to where the 'big cat' had her baby hiding from possible danger while she was away. Since Shea has a knife with him and he is being very careful, the 'big cat' is most likely going to see Shea as a threat- and therefore attack. Attack first, ask questions later type of thing. Shea didn't kill the mother for a serious reason. He thinks it's right for him to end her misery, but he doesn't think it is right for him to take a parent away from a child by force. Plus, he can somewhat relate to the baby. If he had killed her- the baby will just grow up with a strong hate for all humans (possibly), trying its best to fill the void it feels. Shea on the other hand feels the void and somewhat doesn't understand why he feels that way. I think it's obvious why, but, maybe I'll leave it up to you to decide what it all means… His POV was interesting to write… And, this will not be the last time you hear of the 'big and small cats'. They will be used in the story a few more times at least.

_Pierre's POV:_ This one is 'normal'. To give an idea of his decision, what he has decided to do with himself since he has the condition. It's basically one that contains hope. To never give up on your dream- no matter what. If you really love that dream, then go for it! One thing I have been taught in RL… If I really love something, I work my butt off to reach it. I work as hard I can on everything I do- no matter what it is or even if it is the crappiest job in the world. I do my best, because I'll never know if someone is watching me and 'admiring' my work. I should work hard for myself at least. If I can't do it for myself- then what is the point? Based on that, Pierre's POV was created. A fun POV (in a different way) to write.

_Elliot's POV:_ Just a small one. One that shows the suffering of what he goes through with his sister's constant belittling. Just what he goes through on a daily basis. I don't think there is anything really important here- just his comments on his mother sticks out, nothing else really. A small humorous one.

_Julia's POV:_ Nothing special here I believe. Another one made for humorous purposes I believe. Her suffocating Elliot when she hugs him I think is funny! XD I mean since she has a somewhat large bust, suffocating him is possible. I can see her doing that a lot to Elliot- not that he probably _doesn't_ mind… Hmmm… He makes me wonder sometimes…

_Mark's POV:_ I wanted his POV to be mostly serious. So far, since Chapter 11, he's been 'out of the story'. He's still there in the story obviously, but he's not mentioned much. As far as I know or planning to do, it's going to be like that in the story. He's not going to be part of the story much. He'll make appearances when I need him, but most likely, not many. At least, until another certain point in the story, then I'll use him again… Anyway, the whole point of his POV was to see how he is feeling since that day- this would also explain his sudden interest in the mine/mining. He's right now not feeling like his optimistic and happy self. He still feels heartbroken at the moment, the rejection from Chelsea. The only thing that is keeping him together is that sentence- waiting until Winter (and that string of hope described back in chapter 11). Winter is a long way in the story, but when that season does come, it will be a little chaotic (if I did this story right that is). You can determine what the wind and leaf analogy is; I don't want to say too much. That's why I try my best to describe what I am thinking through their POV's- or their feelings. I just have to try to succeed.

Most of you should be noticing by now that I haven't done Will's POV yet. I have my reasons for this. His POV, at this time, isn't 'important', and truthfully—I need his thoughts to be secretive for awhile, at least, until a certain point in the story itself, then his POV will be viewed. His POV will be so surprising, that when his POV does come into the story- you'll be like, 'Woah! Where the *beep* did his POV come from!' You'll be used to his POV not being shown, and then BOOM, his POV will be shown! XD Yeah, something like that is what I am going for. We'll see what the future brings!

And now for the numbers:

**(1)**_… how big it really was; Mark's Crop Field_: For those of you that own the game, IoH, you would know just how BIG the field is. So, what I did was turn on my game and I literally took pictures of my field at different angles/areas. Once that was done, I put all of the images together, and that gave me an idea of how big the field was… According to my picture, the field is 53 x 17 (length x height, in squares). And yes, that is the WHOLE field. The way Mark's field is set up, in the story, is very similar to how I set it up in my game. In my game, it's like this:

pppUppp

ppp-ppp

ppp-ppp

The 'p' stands for a plant/crop being there. The 'U' stands for a piece of lumber being there to split up the row from the next crop. And the '-' just means an empty space is there (a weed can grow there or a rock/wood can appear there out of nowhere). Now, imagine that same pattern repeating itself until the whole field is filled. In total, I would have 12 rows (up and down) filled with crops for that season while the last two 'rows' were filled with fruit trees (12 trees in total; 14 rows in total on the field).

Since it is Summer in the story, there are only 5 crops that he can grow during this time; pumpkin, pineapple, tomato, corn, and onion. Since the pineapples makes the most money AND takes a lot of time to grow (approximately 15 to 20 days), he would plant the most of these (as I would). He would plant three full rows of these, the rows closest to the fruit trees. Once they grow completely, that'll be 51 pineapples in each row that he grew (153 in total for all three rows)- more than enough to fulfill his quota (100 of each crop). If they DO regrow, he can harvest them again and be WAY over his quota.

Since he used 3 rows for the pineapples and two rows for fruit trees, he would have 9 rows left. In the next 4 rows, to the right of the pineapples, he would plant crops that can regrow in a reasonable time. In this case, tomatoes and corn, 2 rows for each of them. They take approximately 15 days to reach full growth; tomato will reach full growth before corn most likely. Once they grow, he would harvest them and that'll give him 102 of each one to harvest. So, even if they don't have a chance to regrow, he'll STILL meet his quota of 100.

Now he only has 5 rows to go. He would use three rows for the pumpkins and the last two rows for the onions. Since neither grows back, he has to make a decision of which one to plant more of. Since pumpkins take more time to grow, he'll plant more of these (approximately 15-20 days). If he wanted to, he could have used 4 rows to grow the pumpkins and only one row to grow the onions- since onions grow more quickly (not as quick as turnips though). However, since he has a quota to meet, it would be wiser for him to grow two rows of onions and three for pumpkins. That way, he'll just barely reach his 100 quota for the onions and be over his quota for the pumpkins (possibility of bad weather). He can replant the onions as much as he wants- or just leave the field alone and grow nothing. Of course, Mark wouldn't do that. He would replant the onions once he harvests them. After all, he doesn't want to be pulling out a lot of weeds when next season comes around (not counting Winter). So, he'll be over his 100 quota for onions if he does replant them. Not that it'll be a bad thing, he'll get paid for his work plus, onions are almost used for everything in food. Seriously, in hamburgers, soup, onion rings etc. The list goes on. He'll have enough for himself and even enough to give away for free- if he wanted to.

And, just like Mark (or I would do rather), I leave the weeds etc. alone on the ground. I don't pick them until towards the end of the season. They'll just grow back anyway, not to mention, it's not like they are growing or spoiling my crops at all. So, what exactly is the point picking them and wasting energy? Well, I suppose they can be shipped for a little gold. But, that is all…

That's Mark's field in a nutshell! Now you know why he had no room for the animals. It's because his whole field is being used- just like my own in the game. And no, I don't really take the animals outside in my own game XD If I do, I let them roam around anywhere on the ranch. I don't push them back into their homes until it is 5PM. Once it is 5PM, then I move them inside their homes. The wild animals still can't get them. Problem solved! XD

**(2)** _… Vaughn's words_: For those of you that didn't catch the lines I used… All of the words he used were from Shakespeare's play 'Romeo and Juliet'. The scene I used was the balcony scene if you haven't noticed. That was the point of the balcony that Sabrina described- not knowing about it at all until now. You know, that was a pretty big clue there… Right? You can easily find this scene online. You can look it up and read the whole thing if you want. So, if you haven't heard of Shakespeare until now- feel free to look up his plays/literacy work and read them if you want. I'm not really into that type of writing, but, there are others out there that are. But, just because I don't like it, doesn't mean I shouldn't be aware of it. Have fun with that!

**(3)** _BANZAI!_: This is a Japanese term! You heard right, it's a Japanese term. It literally means, according to About DOT com:

"literally means ten thousand years (of life). It is written with the combination of the kanji characters for "ten thousand（万）" and "age（歳）.

"Banzai" is a Japanese cheer that can be translates as "Long life!" or "Hurrah!" It is _**usually**_ repeated three times to express enthusiasm, celebrate a victory, applause and favor on happy occasion while raising both arms. It is commonly done together with the large group of people."

This is the meaning I was going for when Denny yelled this term out loud while punching a fist into the air. Too bad Vaughn couldn't join in- it would have been great… XD However, depending on its context, it could also be this (also from About DOT com):

"Foreign people seem to confuse "Banzai" with a war cry. It is probably because the Japanese soldiers shouted "Tennouheika Banzai!(天皇陛下万歳!)" when they were _**dying**_ during World War II. In this context what they meant was "Long live the Emperor" or "Salute the Emperor"."

I obviously don't mean the word in that context, but I just want to be clear that this word can have a different meaning. But once again, it depends on its context, how it is used.

Also, this word was going to be the original name of the chapter titled, '!BANZAI!' (the exclamation marks before and after were put there purposely). But, in the end, I didn't think it would fit. But, since I liked the word, I decided to let Denny shout it- as it does fit into the current situation he was in.

**(4)** _… for his next birthday_: Gannon's birthday already went by in my story. His birthday was last season, Spring 27th , it would have landed on a Friday. I wanted to so badly add a little something for him in the story because he has done so much, but… I couldn't think of anything… Oh well… Maybe next time big guy!

**(5)** _Big black cat_: What Shea is referring to is a jaguar. It would be incorrect to say panther, but since I like that word better- I'm going to say black panther, ha ha (it sounds cooler :p) Anyway, Shea was referring to a black jaguar. Jaguars are technically large cats- including lions, panthers etc. So, he's not far when he says 'big cat', I don't think he would know the 'real' name for them.

**(6)** _… worker in the kitchen_: Refer back to chapter 12. Pierre is referring to the blind guy that worked in the kitchen. As of right now, that worker's name is unknown.

_**THANK YOU ALL FOR READING/REVIEWING (And to those that read anonymously)!**_


	17. Chapter 16, Silver Drops

**NOTICE:** The song lyrics that were in this chapter have been removed. It was against the rules on FF net. I removed them to prevent my story from being deleted without warning. If you want to read it with the lyrics, go here to download it (PDF file; remove the underscores (_)):

http_:/_/_kitty868theonly_._livejournal_._com_/_ 12278_._html

* * *

**Chapter 16, Silver Drops**

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**SUMMER 10TH – THURSDAY**

_**RAIN**_

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"_Let the rain kiss you. Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby."_

_-Langston Hughes-_

**Chelsea's POV**

I'm already on my way to the ranch, walking at a fast pace. The weather today is the exact opposite of yesterdays. Yesterday it was hot and sunny out, but today, it's drizzling. It'll most likely turn into a down pour later. This is why I am in a hurry to get my work done as soon as possible.

"_Guess I can't bring the animals outside today- even if there was room out on the field…_"

Mark is probably happy that he didn't cut down any of his crops yesterday. If he had, he would be furious- or groan at his misfortune…

I finally reached the ranch and to my surprise- so were Vaughn and Will. Well, I can understand Vaughn being there, but Will is a different story…

Then again, he wasn't getting wet at all, as he held a white umbrella in his right hand. The one who was getting wet was Vaughn, as he stood out in the open- away from Will of course.

I approached them both while waving a silent 'hello' to them.

"Good morning Chelsea… Well, it would be more accurate to say a good rainy morning."

I shook my head and smiled slightly, and I heard Vaughn groan. If I didn't know better it looked like he rolled his eyes… But, maybe that was my imagination…

I saw Will blink his eyes at me and then they showed a look of concern on his face.

"Chelsea… Why are you not wearing anything to prevent the rain from soaking you?"

I shook my head at him.

"It's not raining that hard right now. It's only drizzling… Besides, I'll be done with my work before it'll rain hard anyway. No harm done."

Will shook his head at me, the look of concern still apparent on his face.

He walked closer to me and used his umbrella to shield both him and me from the rain.

"Maybe you don't think the rain will not have any effects on you, but I do. You can catch a cold and get sick. It wouldn't be good if you get sick, who'll take care of the animals with their caretaker out?"

I just chuckled at his concern.

"That's nice of you Will. But I won't catch a cold. I'm much stronger then I look you know."

He blinked his eyes at me a couple of times and smiled slightly.

"I bet you are… Though, it doesn't hurt to be safe right?"

I shook my head a little. I decided it would be best to lead the conversation into another direction.

"So Will, what are _you_ doing out here? You can catch a cold too you know."

He slightly smiled at me again and said, "Whether it is sun, rain, or snow, I'll still come outside just to see you."

He added on to that with a small wink.

That comment made my face turn slightly red, but I giggled a little to laugh it off. It's nice of him to say that he would visit even through bad weather.

"_Not to mention, your 'animal partner' is out in this weather too…_" My conscience stated to me.

I turned my head slightly to the side to look at Vaughn.

It's true; he's out in this awful weather too. But, it doesn't seem to bother him… He's not using anything to cover himself from the drizzling rain… On the exception of his hat of course, but he always wears that anyway…

Furthermore, he's out here to help me still, without a clear answer as to why he is still helping me. He just told me because he wants too… Vaughn is a hard one to figure out… He says he's not mysterious, but to me, he really is…

Will's voice shook me out of my thoughts.

"Anyway Chelsea, I came by to apologize…"

"Apologize?"

He nodded his head before he continued.

"To apologize that we won't be able to practice together today… Since it is raining, I'm afraid that we can't bring the horses out…"

He looked up into the sky a little, the umbrella still being able to cover us from getting wet.

"It disheartens me to have a perfectly nice day ruined by awful weather."

He shrugged his shoulders and looked at me with a light smile.

"But, that's okay. We'll just practice together next week. We'll give it all we got, right? After all, the festival is on the 23rd."

I nodded my head in agreement.

"We'll just work harder next week," I said.

He nodded his own head. He then surprised me by taking my hand and gently putting it on the handle of his umbrella.

"You're going to need this more than me. I really don't want to see you get sick… Especially if I could have done something to prevent it in the first place."

I looked at the handle and saw that his hand was still on top of mine. I felt my cheeks get a little hot.

"Th-Thank you Will. For your concern and for giving me your umbrella…"

His smile widened a bit.

"No need to thank me… You can keep it too, in case of another rainy day."

His hand finally left the top of my own and he pulled up the hood from his jacket while he walked pass me a little.

"I'll see you around then," he said from behind me.

"Same to you," I replied.

I guess he's going back to his yacht to do his own thing today. Not that I won't go home after I'm done either, the weather is just too damp to be doing anything outside. If I had to pick which weather I prefer to be in, I rather pick yesterday's weather then today's. At least it's a little easier to cool down and you can still go outside! With this type of weather, it's too dreary to go outside.

I looked up at the umbrella Will gave me, trying to figure out how to close it. I then saw the little orange button on the side. I pressed it with my thumb and it made the umbrella fold up.

I put into my rucksack and I ran to the stable. I think Vaughn was behind me, I could hear his boots splashing around in the little puddles.

I opened the stable door and held it for him, like last time. Once he entered, I closed it of course. Not even a second went by when Keeper ran up to us and he gave us his normal greetings.

I giggled at his eagerness and bent down to pat his head gently.

"You won't be going outside today. It's raining out."

I stood back up to go take care of Dash and of course to add the usual medicine to their food once the food has been placed (I already took mine before I came to the ranch). I took out my brush from my rucksack and started to brush Dash down. I saw Vaughn move from his position towards the corner of the stable, where the large bags of pet food rested for them.

"What's wrong with rain?"

I turned my head to look at Vaughn, who was still by the bags.

"What do you mean?"

He didn't look at me; he just picked up the bag of food to put in their feeding bins.

"I mean exactly what I asked. What's makes the rain wrong? What's the matter with it?"

"You mean for Keeper?"

I looked away from him and kept my attention to the brush strokes on Dash.

"Keeper has been raised in the wild I think… Maybe… I don't know… But, I do know he has been outside most of his life most likely… I think it's time for him to know what it feels like to be out of the rain and any other weather that is harsh…"

Vaughn didn't say anything. I heard the shuffling of the bag and I heard something hitting the ground. It's most likely the food being dumped into the feeding bin.

I patted Dash's back when I finished and put the brush back into my rucksack.

I turned to look at Vaughn and asked, "Why do you ask?"

He put the bag of food back in the corner while he shook his head at my question, and he muttered, "Nothing…"

I gave him a questioning look, but I didn't ask him to elaborate.

I took out the medicine and opened it.

"I'll go start on the animals in the barn… Everything will move faster…"

I just nodded my head at him and then I heard the door close a few seconds later.

I added the required two drops of medicine and then I closed it before stuffing it back in my rucksack. Dash snorted his nose like before at the food, but he didn't put up much of a fight like before. He's probably forcing himself to get use to it. Keeper didn't really put up much of a fight about it.

After I watched them for a few moments of them eating their food, I then left the stable. As soon as I stepped out, I felt the drops of the rain hit my face and my shoulders. The rain was definitely going to get heavier throughout the day. Better stop lazing around…

I quickly ran in the direction of chicken coop, while noticing Mark just leaving the greenhouse from my position. I waved from my running position, but he didn't wave back, he must not have seen me…

I stopped in front of the coop, and then I sighed in annoyance as I remembered something.

I turned and ran to the animal barn instead. I opened the door and peeked inside. As I expected, Vaughn was already working on one of the cows. His back was to me from my position.

"Hey Vaughn," I said, to gain his attention.

He stopped his brushing momentarily and turned his head slightly to face me.

"Yeah?"

"If you happen to milk the cows before I come back, can you save at least 10 gallons of it? I would like to turn some of them into the other dairy products."

He just nodded his head at me before he went back to work.

I took my head back out and closed the door before I turned to run back to the chicken coop.

I quickly did my job and I took all of the eggs without putting them into the bin. I decided to turn all of them into a bottle of mayonnaise.

I left the chicken coop, deciding not to hang around for long this time. Once I was out again, I looked around the property and I found the place I was looking for.

I ran again (I'll be out of breathe by the end of the day if I keep running) and stopped in front of the maker's shed. As I thought, it was a place made completely out of wood, some sort of wood that is pretty light. You could probably see this building in the pitch darkness.

I opened it and entered. I looked around the shed. It was filled with machines. Lucky for me, each of them were labeled with pictures, except for the dark green one in the back of the shed…

"_I wonder what that one is…_"

I took my attention to the other machines in the shed, trying to figure out which machine was the mayonnaise one. It didn't take me that long to find it.

I ran up to it of course. I looked at it up and down, not exactly sure how to use it. But, I can take an intelligent guess.

I figured the giant hole in the top would be where the item goes in and the small hole towards the bottom of the machine was where the product came out. I shrugged my shoulders, only one way to find out!

I took out an egg from my rucksack and stood on my tip-toes. I just reached the edge of the hole on top of the machine. I put the egg in and I could hear it falling into the hole itself. Too bad I couldn't see it. It'll remind me of the good old days when I use to put coins into those donations tube-things at stores… I loved it when the gold coin would go round and round, making a small show before it would reach the hole…

The only difference is that this machine is noisier- _much_ noisier. The machine made a lot of banging noises inside of it, it sounded more like a whole freight train was in there, crashing into another train at max speed.

It then made a small ringing noise, like a bell on a kitchen timer.

I looked down at the other hole. My guess was right; the smaller hole was where the product would come out.

I bent down a little and picked up the bottle of mayonnaise. Not just any bottle of mayonnaise, squeeze type!

I looked around for the shipping bin. As Mark said, there would be one inside the shed. Since it wasn't far from me, I decided to give it a toss- and I scored! One point for Chelsea!

I took out the other eggs and put them into the machine as well. I didn't have to wait long for the bottles of those to come out as well. I tossed them into the shipping bin as well.

I was about to head out, but the door opened from the other side before I could even touch the handle. The first thing I saw was the blue cap with blonde hair sticking out from the hole. I took a big step back before Mark could bump into me, since he wasn't exactly looking up.

He then noticed me and smiled at me slightly.

"Hey Chelsea! I see that you're getting use to the machine."

"Yeah, but it's pretty noisy…"

He shrugged his shoulders at me.

"Can't be perfect… Anyway, I just came by real quick to tell you that Gannon will start working on the sunroof tomorrow! He said it might take him a few days to do it… Since it's the roof he is remodeling, one that operates at that, it'll take him longer than usual… But, he said he should be able to do it!"

"That's great!"

He chuckled a little and said, "Figured you would like to hear that…"

He then brought a hand to his mouth, to cover a yawn apparently. He shook his head a second later.

"I must be tired out…"

"Of course you would be… Haven't you been mining for awhile? That takes a lot of energy you know…"

"I know… But today, I'm taking a break from it…"

He looked away from me slightly and I saw him scratch the back of his head- a little nervously I might add.

"If you're done with work Chelsea… You want to go get something from the café?"

I saw that he was looking away from me and his face still looked slightly flushed a bit. His eyes were darting around a little too.

I shook my head.

"I'm sorry Mark… Maybe not today… It's raining and I kind of feel like being inside today…"

He then looked at me; his eyes open a little wider than normal.

"I-I'm sorry Chelsea… I forgot it was raining outside…!"

I looked at him with an eyebrow raised.

"You forgot it was raining? But, you just came from outside a minute or so ago…"

He covered his mouth and gave a fake cough.

"I-I uh… Forgive me for asking and just forget I asked anything…!"

He gave me a quick wave goodbye and he turned to leave. Though, on his way out, I thought I heard a small sigh escape from his mouth. But, it could have been the draft blowing into the shed when he opened the door; maybe it wasn't a sigh at all…

Once he was gone, I sighed myself. It's true that I want to be at home for the rest of the day due to the weather. But, another reason would be because I'm not really ready to be with Mark—alone that is… At all… I don't mind our minimum contact at work, but outside of work… I would just rather not be near him… I don't want to give him false hope you know… I'm not pulling his leg or anything! I really am thinking about it you know… But, Winter is a long way from now… Plenty of time to think about the meaning of his words and give me time to make sure my decision is correct…

I shook my head. I think I'm thinking a little too much now and days… It's probably the rain that is making me like this…

I decided to leave the shed and I headed towards the animal barn. I entered the barn without a second thought. Vaughn looked like he was just finishing, brushing the animals down that is…

I took out the milker from my rucksack and moved to the closest cow. I'm getting use to milking them a little quick now. Before, I took forever. But now, I swear it takes me only a few seconds to do it (well, at _least_ a minute).

I saw that Vaughn was finished and he was just now standing around.

It didn't take me that long to finish milking all of the cows, only about 10 minutes (okay, maybe longer- but the wonderfuls really do make my job easier!).

Vaughn was now beginning to put some of the milk into the shipping bin. I put the milker back into my rucksack before I picked up a tank of milk myself.

"Remember Vaughn; please leave 10 tanks of it. If you want one, you can take one if you like."

He shook his head at me.

"I don't want to risk water getting into it."

I shrugged my shoulders.

"I can always put it into my rucksack."

He stopped his work and gave me a look with an eyebrow raised.

"The one on your back?"

I nodded my head as I put the tank into the shipping bin.

"You'll be surprised what this rucksack can hold. It can fit a whole fishing spear in it!"

He put down the two tanks he had in his hands and the expression of his face was one of disbelief.

"What? You don't believe me?"

"No."

I took the rucksack off my back and put it on the ground.

"It's better to show you then talking about it."

I picked up the nearest tank and I opened the top of my rucksack with the other hand.

The opening of the rucksack looks small, but for some reason, as soon as you bring an item close to it- the item somehow fits…

I demonstrated that when I brought the tank close to the opening. Without me even pushing it in, the bottom of the tank grew slightly smaller than before. I looked up briefly, and Vaughn's eyes were wide open, in disbelief of course. I smiled a little at his expression as I put the whole tank inside the rucksack, it disappearing inside.

"See? It fits."

He moved from his spot to stand in front of the rucksack. He looked down from his position.

"You're kidding me… The tank actually fit? But, that's not possible…"

"Well you saw it all here! Want to move on to pulling the rabbit out of the rucksack trick?"

He shook his head, but I saw a hint of a smile on his face.

"Makes me wonder if a whole person can fit in there…"

I blinked at his words and I smiled at the idea.

"You know what… That sounds like a good idea!"

He looked at me, a slight frown on his face.

"Now hold on, I was just kidding. If you do happen to fit in there, how are you going to get out?"

"Who said it's going to be me going in there?"

His face expression changed into one of confusion, but it quickly changed into one of realization.

"Hell no… I'm not going to go in there! If you want to, go ahead, I'm not going to stop you."

"Aw, come on Vaughn! You're taller and it would show the limit of the rucksack!"

He shook his head at me.

"My answer is still no. There is no way you're going to convince me to try to fit in there."

"_Hmm… Convince him… How can I convince him?_" I thought.

Suddenly, an idea went off in my head.

I saw that Vaughn went back to picking up the tanks to bring to the shipping bin. I stood there and I grinned slightly towards him. I decided to wait for him to notice my lack of movement then to gain his attention.

Once he dumped his load into the shipping bin, and that is when he looked at me. I don't think he liked the grin on my face. He gave me a slight glare, but one more on the suspension side then anger.

"If you're planning to push me towards your rucksack, I will literally kill you."

I didn't take his threat seriously though. But, I didn't have that idea in my head in the first place; I have another- not the one he suggested…. Though, it doesn't sound like a bad idea.

His eyes squinted even more so, until his eyelids were nothing but thin slits. His gaze almost made me shutter involuntarily.

"I mean it. I'll drag you down with me if you try it."

I frantically shook my head at him.

"I wasn't thinking that at all! I was thinking more on the lines of Julia…"

His glare lightened before he responded, "Julia? You're planning to put her in there? How are you planning to do that?"

Once again, I shook my head.

"I'm not planning to put Julia in there. You were right the first time. I want to see you go in there."

He scowled at me, not agreeing to do such a silly action of course.

"So… You're telling me that you don't want to get back at Julia?" I asked him.

Even though he wasn't looking at me, I could tell that I caught his interest. His mouth slightly turned upward into a small grin before it went back to his usual scowl. I decided that all I needed to do was push him just a little further and he'll agree- hopefully…

"I mean really… You always seemed to be annoyed by Julia's behavior… Are you _sure_ you don't want to get back at her in some form?"

He walked away from me to put the last few tanks into the shipping bin. Not answering my question right away. But, I already have a feeling he's going to agree to do it. I just know he wants to get back at Julia, I could practically feel the anxiousness come off of him.

Once he put the tanks inside the bin, leaving only the last 10 tanks on the ground, he finally turned to face me. He crossed his arms and sighed, though it didn't sound like he meant to sigh.

"Alright… I'll do it…"

He then snapped a finger at me and gave me a very light glare.

"But I'm only doing this once! I'm not something to be experimenting on!"

"Of course! But, we still have to see if a whole human body can really fit into it…"

He kneeled down and grabbed the rucksack by its side, but without taking it off the ground.

"I'll test it… But I'm telling you, it won't work. There's just no way that I'll fit…"

* * *

**Julia's POV**

Mom is once again letting me occupy the store while she went out to go talk to Chen. I looked to the side from my leaning position on the counter, to look out the window. As I figured, it was raining outside. The rain right now was hitting against the glass on the windows, making the sound of the drops sound like the constant drumming of fingers against a smooth surface.

I sighed about the unfortunate weather. It meant two things. First, Elliot will most likely be busy packing things for most people on the island, which will most likely take him most of the day due to the weather. Secondly, I can't go see him because I don't want to get wet- my hair or otherwise…

I groaned in frustration. The weather ruined my mood! I was planning to go see Elliot and suggest that we do something together or even go to Will's yacht and enjoy the beauty salon…

Just then, the familiar ringing sound rang throughout the shop. I looked towards the door and smiled at my visitor.

"_At least I can't be bored with her around!_"

"Chelsea! You came to visit!"

She smiled at me and chuckled lightly.

"Of course! But ah, I didn't really come to visit you…"

"You're not? Then what can I help you with?"

I saw her look around the shop briefly before she looked at me once again.

"I'm actually looking for Vaughn…"

I looked at her with interest, before I gave her a somewhat smug smile.

"Are you now?"

"J-Julia… I'm only looking for him because I was wondering why he didn't show up at the ranch today…"

"_Sure_ Chelsea. You can't focus doing your work anymore or something?"

"I'm serious! He didn't show up with the animal medicine today. I spilled the bottle yesterday and he said he'll bring me a new bottle today. But, I haven't seen him with the bottle… And I need it for the sick animals…"

I sighed. She sounded serious- the problem is serious too.

"No I haven't seen my cousin yet. Why don't you try the back, maybe he snuck into the back…"

She nodded her head at me.

She turned to face the backdoor, but then she faced me again and walked up to the counter. She took off her rucksack off her back and put it onto the counter.

I looked at the rucksack and then at her, a question forming into my head.

"What are you doing?" I asked her.

"If you don't mind, can you just watch over this for a moment? The bag was getting kind of heavy on my back."

"Really?"

I looked at the rucksack again.

"That's strange… Usually when I see Mark carrying it, he carries it as if it weighed nothing… Maybe you should get a new one, this one could be busted," I suggested to her.

She nodded her head in agreement.

"I'll most likely do that later today…"

She turned away from me and headed towards the backdoor that led to the animals. I watched her until she disappeared behind the door.

I sighed once again, much louder this time. Now I have nothing to do once again…

I looked at her rucksack and I briefly had the urge to go through the contents inside it, but I decided against it not even a minute later.

I looked towards the window once again.

The only sound I could hear was the rain itself, hitting against the window.

And then, I felt something tap my arm…

I looked around, wondering what tapped me. But, I saw nothing… Not only that, how could someone tap me when there is _nobody_ here? Well, except me and Chelsea in the back, but I don't think she did it…

"The rain is making me a little jumpy…" I mumbled under my breath as I brought my attention to the window once again.

Not that long after, I feel the light tapping against my arm again!

This time I looked _really_ hard and long… But once again, there was nothing or anybody around… Just me…

"_This is beginning to creep me out._"

I began to tap my own fingers against the counter, now nervous. I shifted my eyes around the shop again and I could feel myself getting a little warm, despite the amount of clothing I have on. I'm obviously _really_ nervous.

"A-Alright now…! Wh-Whoever you are, you stop tapping my arm…! O-Or I will hurt you myself…! I have a rucksack with some dangerous tools in it!" I shouted, trying to sound threatening.

Of course, I don't think my threat sounded too convincing, but I don't care right now…

A few minutes went by and nothing happened…

I sighed in relief, now believing it was just my imagination… A vivid one, but whatever.

I looked towards the window again, now thinking that Elliot _might_ come over.

I was feeling a little better, and I began to slouch my shoulders to feel more relaxed. But my feeling didn't last long… Not even a minute later, I feel something _grab my arm_!

Instead of being afraid, I felt angry because now I can catch this culprit and kick them out of the shop! Possibly even kill them myself!

But, when I looked at my arm, I saw a hand and a little bit of the arm, but I didn't see a full body attached to it standing in front of me… I followed the length of the arm with my eyes, and saw that it led to the _inside_ of the rucksack!

I screamed and pulled away; almost falling down to the ground from the force (the hand let me go before I could pull away). And I ran towards the backdoor where my brave rancher friend was at!

"CHEEEEEELSEA!"

I found her and I clutched to her arms, while hiding behind her of course.

"Oh my gosh Julia! What's wrong with you?" She asked me in concern.

I pointed towards the direction where I just ran from, my arm shaking nonstop. I'm so scared!

"I-I was watching your rucksack like you asked me to. An-And I kept feeling some-something tapping my arm. Bu-But every time I looked around there was no-nobody there! An-And just no-now a hand gr-grabbed my arm from inside your ru-rucksack!" I said to her quickly and frantically.

I looked at her face and she looked confused for a moment. It slowly changed into one of disbelief.

"A hand came from the inside of my rucksack? Julia… I think you accidently ate something that is spoiled…"

"I-I'm serious! A _hand_ came out of your rucksack and it grabbed me!"

Before she could say another word, I began to push her towards the direction.

"Yo-You go see then if you are so su-sure!" I said to her as I kept pushing her towards the door.

We finally reached the door and she opened the door slowly, letting the light from the shop seep into the mostly dark area we were currently at.

She took one step inside the shop and I took a slow step behind her. We both looked towards the counter, and her rucksack wasn't there…

"Julia? Where is my rucksack?"

I ignored her question and looked around the shop for a possible moving arm and hand in the shop… But, there was nothing or nobody else in the shop… Just Chelsea and me…

Chelsea ran up to the counter and looked around on it, trying to look for her rucksack it looked like.

I walked pass her and walked up to the door, looking around it and anywhere else. Besides, an arm and hand will be pretty small. It can hide anywhere!

"_Oh…! I hope it's not hiding under my bed!_"

That is one place I'm not going to check myself… Maybe I can convince Chelsea to check for me? After all, she doesn't believe my story.

I turned away from the door. I could feel myself getting all jittery again. I shifted my eyes around the shop, frantically trying to search for the walking arm part without a body attached to it.

I then felt a tap on my shoulder…

I jumped in fright, and twirled around- almost tripping over my feet. Out of automatic reaction, I just screamed.

"What the hell Julia! Stop screaming in my ears!"

I did, now realizing that the person turned out to be Vaughn.

I hit his arm as hard as I could, but of course, the hit barely fazed him. Stupid cousin!

"Why did you sneak up on me like that!"

He shook his head and then he lifted one of his hands, Chelsea's rucksack was dangling from his hand.

"I was here just a few moments ago and I saw the rucksack on the counter. I was just trying to return it to the rightful owner."

"I-I still wish you had of told me! How did you get in any way without the bell ringing?"

He just shrugged his shoulders at me in reply.

I turned away from him and walked to the counter, going behind it once more. Chelsea just shook her head and I heard her giggle lightly.

I turned to face her; slightly angry with her for thinking what he did was funny.

"It's not funny Chelsea…! I'm telling you, there was a hand coming from out of your rucksack!"

"A hand coming out of her rucksack?"

I turned to face Vaughn.

"You heard me. There was a whole arm in there and it grabbed me!"

He just shook his head at me and I thought I heard him chuckle.

"See? This just goes to prove how horrible your food is. You must have eaten something horrible that you made. And now, you're imagining things."

I stomped one foot to the ground hard.

"I _did not_ imagine it!"

"Sure… Whatever…"

He obviously didn't believe me. I turned away from him and stared at a wall across from me, ignoring him at the same time.

I heard the clatter of his boots before he appeared within my vision, walking up to Chelsea. He handed the rucksack back to her. And that was when I noticed something…

"Vaughn… If you just came from outside looking for Chelsea… Then how come you're mostly dry?"

He looked down at his shirt. And of course, I was right. His shirt was mostly dry. In fact, it didn't look wet at all! I then glared at him.

"Where were you _really_ at Vaughn?"

He didn't answer. But, I saw Chelsea use a hand to cover her mouth, and I heard giggling behind that hand.

"Okay you two! Now I know something is up! What did you do! Was it you two that scared me!"

Chelsea stopped giggling abruptly and Vaughn looked away to the side somewhere. Chelsea began to whistle a moment later while rocking on the heel of her boots, as if she did nothing wrong.

"It was! I can't believe it! Chelsea, you agreed with Vaughn to do that to me!"

I put a hand over my heart and looked down at the countertop sadly.

"I can't believe my own friend betrayed me to the enemy…"

I heard Vaughn chuckle before I heard the sound of his boots, walking away somewhere (most likely to his normal spot).

"Actually Julia, I didn't come up with that… Vaughn told me that he would come out once he got to the shop… He didn't say that he would go so—far…"

I looked at her and I frowned of course.

"It doesn't matter. You sill agreed to do— whatever you did!"

"You see, that's the thing. I was just experimenting with my rucksack. I wanted to see if a whole person could fit inside. As you can see, it worked!"

I looked at the rucksack in Chelsea's hand.

"Are you serious? A whole body can fit in there? Wow… I think that's dangerous. If anyone on this island was a murderer, they'll be able to hide the body easily with such an item… Wait…"

I then snapped my head where Vaughn stood, in his usual spot, standing by the door.

"You were the one that was in the rucksack!"

"You just figured that out…? You're slow," he said to me.

"I-I had an idea already! It's just that I didn't believe it!"

I saw him somewhat roll his eyes.

"I'm sure you did."

I gave him the most vicious glare that I could give him. But, he just ignored it.

"_So, he wants to play that game does he?_"

I looked at Chelsea sweetly, a small smile etched on my face.

"So Chelsea… I've been kind of realizing something…"

She gave me a questioning look, obviously baffled by my words. I continued before she could ask any questions.

"Yeah… I've been realizing that you've been hanging with Will lately… Why are you?"

She blinked her eyes at me, as if I asked her the dumbest question in the world. I also noticed Vaughn pulled his hat down.

"Well… The main reason is because he asked me… Kind of… Yesterday, he asked me if I can train with him for the horse festival. I agreed to," she simply said, not even hesitating with her answer.

"Aw! That's sweet of you! You're training with him."

Not that long after, Vaughn scoffed from his corner.

I brought my attention to him and my smile turned into a small smirk.

"You have an opinion about this Vaughn?"

"My 'opinion' is that I find it stupid that she would help a competitor."

Chelsea sighed and turned to face him.

"I thought we kind of discussed this yesterday Vaughn… What's wrong with what I'm doing anyway? Not just that, why are you more bitter than usual? Ever since he came to the island, you have been… Well… Not very nice to him. What has he done to you to make you so angry or— suspicious about him?"

Vaughn just mumbled under his breath in reply. Chelsea just shook her head at him before she faced me once again.

"I would like to stay, but I have a little more work to do… If you need me, I'll most likely be at home," she said to me.

I just waved goodbye to her, and she left in a hurry- probably trying to beat the rain.

Once I was sure that she was gone, I slightly grinned at my cousin.

"That's what you get for doing such a cruel trick to me."

"What are you talking about?"

"Go ahead and pretend that you don't know what I am talking about. It wouldn't matter to me. I made you angry, so, I win."

He scowled at me and said, "I don't have time for this. I got to work on the animals in the back."

"Oh no you don't!" I said as I came around from the back of the counter.

He stopped his walking pace to face me, his eyebrows almost touching- an obvious frown.

"And why can't I do my job?"

"Because knowing you, you'll come up with some plan back there and make me even angrier. So, _I'll_ do the work today and you go mope somewhere else," I said to him as I stopped in front of him, blocking the backdoor somewhat.

He scoffed out loud and said, "Fine!"

He looked away from me, looking towards the window it looked like and he then he said in a low voice, "But… I need some pet food…"

"You know, what do you need the pet food for anyway?"

I then put a hand over my mouth and gasped out loud in surprise.

"Oh my goodness Vaughn! Do you secretly eat dog food! You really are a lone wolf!"

He faced me and scoffed at me loudly. I just laughed lightly at his expression as an image of Vaughn eating pet food out of the bag came into my head.

"I don't eat pet food or any other food that animals eat!"

He fixed his hat on his head before he continued.

"Besides, it's none of your business what I need it for."

I sighed in defeat, not really wanting to argue with him.

"I'll bring two bags out…"

I opened the backdoor and stuck one foot in. I turned my head to look at him.

"Oh yeah! I have a note for you! I'll give it to you when I come back."

He just stood there, waiting for me to hurry along. Such an impatient cousin!

I walked through the backdoor and looked around for the pet food. Of course, they were in the corner where they are always at- tons of bags. I grabbed two and I had a hard time picking them up.

"These things are heavy!" I groaned out loud while dragging them against the floor instead of lifting them.

I managed to reach the door again and I opened it. I continued to drag the bags until I reached just the opening of the backdoor, and I closed the door.

I stood back up straight and looked around for Vaughn. He was standing by the counter, leaning against it of course, instead of sitting on one of the stools.

"Well, here are the bags of pet food you wanted. I hope two is enough."

He nodded his head in reply.

"Two is enough… Now, you said you had a note for me…"

I nodded my head and took out the note out of my pocket. The paper was folded neatly in half with the scrolled words on it that read, 'To Vaughn'.

He took his time moving from his spot. When he took the note out of my hand, I watched him look at it, front and back before he unfolded the piece of paper. He sighed softly in annoyance not that long after.

"Whose it's from?" I asked him.

He sighed again before he stuffed the note into one of his pockets.

"The note is from Sabrina. She basically wrote that I don't have to come to her house for- _tea_ today, due to the weather."

I saw him shutter a little; at least I think I did… I'm not sure…

"She even wrote at the end of it, 'If I wanted to that is.'"

He shook his head and I smiled at him slightly.

"You told her that you were going to come over again?"

"I didn't say that to her. She was the one that asked me if I could come over every Thursday. I just told her I'll think about it. I never agreed to do such a thing."

"Well, she obviously took your reply as good news instead of bad."

He shook his head as he lifted the two bags of pet food.

"There's no need for me to go by. Aunt Mirabelle only said to 'try' it out; she didn't say to do it every week."

"I don't hear a complete and clear answer coming from you."

He headed towards the door with the bags in his arms before he replied.

"That's just in case Aunt Mirabelle decides to force me to go once again."

He managed to open the front door and he left. I saw his form walk pass the window, though he didn't seemed to be rushing. I think he enjoys the rain… Crazy cousin…

I really don't understand how he could like the rain in _any_ form.

The rain ruined everything for me; in the past, now and most likely in the future too.

I hate the rain.

* * *

**Mark's POV**

I was sitting on the bed, looking out of the window from my position while my head rested in the palm of my hand, and my elbow leaning on my knee.

The rain was making a pattern sound of constantly hitting the window.

I sighed to myself and shook my head.

I'm not planning to go mining today, due to the weather along with the possibility of getting sick. Both not good for me, in some form.

I need to go mining to keep my mind from wandering to things I rather not think about, and the extra gold doesn't hurt. And me getting sick is out of the question, as I don't really have anybody that can take care of the crops for me… Well, except for Chelsea of course…

I sighed at the thought of her. If it wasn't for this weather, I would still be in the field taking care of the crops and then mine later; anything to keep my mind busy and focused to prevent thinking about her in any form right now…

I shook my head and continued to gaze out of the window.

The only 'good' thing due to the weather would be that the rain watered my crops for me. Other than that though, I can't think of anything else really good about it.

I decided to lay flat on the bed, on my back, and sighed once again- this time out of boredom.

What a boring day…

I can't see anything good concerning the rain.

* * *

**Elliot's POV**

"Why can't I go out in the rain?" Natalie asked Mom, getting annoyed in the process.

Natalie and Mom have been arguing (mostly Natalie) for the past 5 minutes about her not going out in the rain. Mom tells her that she can't due to her injury and getting wet won't make her better. Not to the mention, the possibility of getting sick. Natalie of course isn't happy about this. She doesn't like the rain, but she would rather make the decision herself on if she should or should not go outside. She doesn't like it too much when Mom tells her what she can and cannot do.

I saw my sister roll her eyes a little.

"Mom, this is getting ridiculous. I should be able to go outside. I do have a job to do. If I remember right, I have to watch Elliot to make sure that he doesn't break anything. By you telling me not to go outside, you're preventing me from doing my job."

Mom of course shook her head, her answer being final.

"I'm not letting you go outside. The rain will just make you catch a cold… And you don't need another unexpected illness…" She said, the last part coming out a little sadly and almost in a murmur.

Mom has been a little more overprotective of Natalie since she came back… She hardly lets Natalie do anything without her knowledge now. She is literally there for her, well, for everything- or mostly everything anyway…

I still think something isn't quite right about Mom… She has been less— outgoing… And for some reason, she looks older then I have ever seen her. In fact, she looks tired all of the time, as I am actually seeing small dark circles under her eyes… Her hair seems to be less neat as well… There are other small things I noticed about Mom, but… It seems to me that it's just me noticing these small things. Grandpa doesn't seem to notice them, as he told me himself when I asked him if he thought something was different about Mom… If he had noticed something, he hasn't shared that knowledge with me or anyone else most likely. I haven't asked my sister yet if she noticed anything odd, but, I rather not. She might call me paranoid or something else…

I heard my sister sigh, not really in defeat, but more of a forced sigh.

She just turned her wheelchair away from Mom and rolled it into the shared bedroom. I guess she's going to 'sulk' a little with a book…

Mom then turned to face me.

"As for you, don't take too long doing your job. I would like for you to be back before lunch is over," she said to me in a serious tone.

I just nodded my head, not really wanting to argue with her (not that I disagree with her).

I think she's watching over me a little more as well… She stills lets me do the work, because I am the only one left in the business that can do it- we have to make money somehow… Not to mention, the other residents count on us to ship off their goods… A lot of responsibility on my shoulders…

I waited for Mom to excuse me with a motion of her hand or some other.

She did by saying, "You can go now…"

I turned towards the door, ready to leave, but Mom stopped me.

"Hold on Elliot. Where's your raincoat?" She asked me.

I sighed to myself.

I don't like the rain much, but I hate my raincoat more. It's very heavy, a size or two large for me, and it's very hard to move around in, especially when I have to bend down to pick up a crate. The loose parts of the coat sometimes get in the way (and there were times it got caught in a door) plus many other problems.

I didn't argue my point though. I turned towards the crate nearest to the door, next to me, opened it and ran my hands through the contents inside. It didn't take me long to find my raincoat.

I took out the oversized dark olive raincoat and put it on in haste. I looked out the window from my position and the rain was really pouring down, more like in puddles then raindrops…

From my position, I saw Mom turn back towards the kitchen counter. I looked towards my Grandfather, who was sitting at the kitchen table.

I thought I saw a look of worry on his face towards Mom's back, but it quickly changed into a smile when he noticed me looking at him. I just sighed internally.

"_He notices something… He just refuses to tell me anything…_"

I finally got the raincoat on me properly, or as properly as an oversized raincoat can be.

I faced the front door once again and I opened it- the full force of the rain greeting me.

"_This is going to make my job so much harder… I hope I don't trip in the mud or on the slippery stone-like pathway…_"

I detest the rain.

* * *

**Sabrina's POV**

I was looking out of the window, feeling very gloomy. Not only due to the weather, but also because Vaughn will most likely not come over. And it'll be because of this weather…

Last week, I invited him over for tea and he came over! I felt so happy and he was being nice too!

But today, I highly doubt he would come over… I'm sure he doesn't like the rain as much as I do, or anyone else for that matter… Though, I would be very happy if he does come over anyway, as he makes me feel like I can be myself- at least a little. He would definitely make me smile just by his presence.

I took my focus back out of the window, watching the rain hit everything outside.

I had a few bad experiences with the rain; there was a time that I drew a really nice picture that was pure perfection, but then it suddenly rained and it got my whole picture wet, soggy- just completely ruined… I tried redrawing the perfected picture, but it just never came out right…

I once again looked at the pouring rain outside, and I couldn't help but slightly frown; thinking of all of the misfortunes it caused today.

I loathe the rain.

* * *

**Denny's POV**

I closed the door to my shack behind me, ignoring the rain hitting against my face and all. I don't mind the rain at all. Though, Kuu on the other hand doesn't seem to like the rain very much… He's right now huddled against my neck, as close as he can get to prevent himself from getting wet, an impossible goal- not when it's raining this hard…

"Don't worry Kuu buddy. We'll get to shelter soon."

He didn't respond of course.

I walked along the very moist sand; it felt more like I was on quicksand then regular sand. But, I kept moving on until I reached West Town.

I walked on the familiar path, following it until I reached East Town. I kept on walking on the path, until I stopped in front of a door that is familiar to me- with the occupant most likely bored out of their mind.

I lifted up my hand and knocked on the door as gently as possible (don't want her getting on me again about 'damaging' her door).

The door opened from the other side not too long after, and she smiled at me.

"Denny! You came over to visit me! Even in the pouring rain…!" Lanna said with the smile still on her face.

"Eh, I figured you would be bored out of your mind… Not to mention, you wouldn't be out in this rain. So I figured that-"

"Hurry up and get inside! The rain is beginning to blow into the house!"

I chuckled as I stepped inside of her home. She slammed the door behind me before she came within my vision.

"You obviously don't like the rain much," I said to her.

"Of course I don't! The rain ruined a concert of mine once! I had no choice but to cancel and reschedule and everything! It was a hassle!" She exclaimed.

I just shrugged my shoulders at her.

I felt Kuu lean away from my neck and he shook his whole body, to get rid of the water on his body- splashing me in the process (not that I mind).

"The rain isn't that bad," I commented.

I saw her roll her eyes at me before she walked along the small hallway to reach her room, I followed her of course.

Once she reached her room, she ran up to her cabinet-like dresser and looked inside of it. I just stood at the entrance to her room, not having a need to look around her room- I already know what her room looks like. It's too— pink and bright for my taste… The other room that is connected to her room is pinkish too, but it's not horrible overall. It's bearable, and more like my kind of place. Of course, it's due to all of her fishing gear being in there…

She was still going through her dresser, and I shook my head and chuckled lightly.

"What are you doing Lanna?"

"I'm looking for a new outfit!"

I raised an eyebrow at her, but I don't think she noticed it.

"An outfit? For what?"

"Well, it's more like a new look… I'm thinking about starting up my career again. I don't know when exactly, but I know it'll be soon! Anyway, I want to have a comeback with a new look!"

I looked at her in surprise.

"Really? You're really serious about that?"

She suddenly turned away from the dresser with her hands on her hips and a frown on her face.

"Of course I am! Have you been listening to me at _all_ when I talk to you!"

I chuckled at her question nervously. In other words, no, I haven't really been listening to her. Well, I have been, it's just that I didn't take her seriously...

"I've been listening Lanna, it's just that I didn't really think that you would… You know… Go back to that life. I thought you like it here."

I saw her sigh.

"Of course I like it here, but that doesn't mean that I don't miss what I use to do Denny… I still want to sing with all of my soul and power… But being here doesn't let me do that though…"

I saw her look towards the opening that led to the other room; the room that held all of her fishing gear.

I never knew she felt that way… I thought she was planning to retire and not go back to that lifestyle…

I smiled slightly and walked over to the table. I sat down on the only stool she had. I leaned my elbow on the table and put my head into the palm of my hand while looking at her.

"Okay then, why don't you sing to me then?"

She looked at me in surprise.

"Si-Sing to you?" She asked, both in surprise while stuttering a little I noticed.

"Yeah! You said that you're basically tired of holding in all of that anxiety. So, why don't let it all out to me? If you want to sing, then sing!"

I patted my chest a few times.

"I'm your audience! I might be the only one here, but I'll listen!"

Kuu hopped off my shoulder, stating his own comment in his bird tongue.

"See? Kuu will listen too! So, give it all you got!" I exclaimed, hoping to encourage her.

She put her hands against her cheeks, her face turning slightly pink.

"You really mean that Denny! You never really asked me to sing before."

I nodded my head at her.

"Of course I mean it!"

I saw her face become a little darker.

"O-Okay! If you say so…!"

She turned towards her dresser again, looking for something it looked like. I just smiled at her back.

I then turned my eyes towards the closest window next to the dresser and looked at the rain.

"_The rain isn't so bad… It actually brings people closer together, giving people a chance to bond with one another_," I thought as I continued to look at the rain, while watching Lanna from the corner of my eyes.

"_And there is nothing wrong with that._"

I smiled at the thought.

* * *

**Shea's POV**

I done hunting for food.

I shake head to get rain away from head- at least a little…

I then grab all fish and run home.

I home now, and I push door open. I look around home, no Wada…

"_Wada no back yet…_"

I put one fish on bear mat and leave home again with two other fish I hunt.

I run through the rain again, trying to not get more wet and to get to a place fast.

I finally reach place, big hole… Where Shea friends at.

I enter slowly, no scare big cat like before. But, big cat heard Shea anyway. But, big cat no roar at me. Small cat there too, but quiet and watch Shea.

I lift fish.

"Shea bring food for friends…"

I put food down by big cat like before. Big cat watch I at first, like before, but watch I longer then before…

Big cat did move later, to grab fish and eat like before. Small cat did too.

I watch them eat like before, until fish all gone. They no waste food…

I turn to go home, but small cat made sound. I turn to face small cat, and small cat look at I.

Small cat walk to I and make sound again like before.

I confuse, what small cat want?

"Reow…"

Small cat then touch Shea foot, being quick. Small cat touch Shea foot again, but more slow. Small cat look up and made sound again.

"Small cat… Follow Shea?"

I look at big cat, what big cat think?

Big cat just look, but no growl. Big cat okay with it? I look at small cat again.

"_Maybe small cat not follow Shea… Maybe want to play?_"

I look out of big hole and see rain fall hard. I can go home— or play with small cat…

"Reow…"

I look at small cat again… Small cat, beg? Beg Shea to play?

I bend down and reach hand out to small cat. Small cat grab fingers with small feet(?) and rub head into hand. I laugh.

"Small cat do want to play?"

I sit on ground and lift small cat. I put small cat in lap and play with small cat with hands.

I close my eyes, listen to small cat make happy sounds, and the rain from outside fall.

All the sounds together… Sound like music to I… I know in rain, hard to hunt- hard to see in rain… But… Maybe rain no so bad…

Rain good…

* * *

**Chelsea's POV**

I quickly put my cooking creation into a container and looked at the clock hanging on the wall. It was already 6PM.

I put the lid onto the container and hurried along to leave my house, the container under my arms.

I ran up to my door and opened it, ignoring the pouring rain outside. I closed the door behind me, leaving it unlocked- finding it a little unnecessary to do right now (as I'll be back pretty quick).

I ran along the stone path, when a thought hit me.

"_Why didn't I bring the umbrella? Or better yet, my rucksack?_"

I shook the thought out of my head, don't have time to get it now…

I reached West Town and slowed my running to a slow walking pace.

I walked passed Mirabelle's shop, looking into the shop through the window to see if maybe the person was there. But, I didn't see him…

I continued along the path, going back to running, heading towards the beach.

Once I reached the entrance, I slowed down my pace, trying to regain my breath. I looked from my position, looking through the heavy rain- I'm soaked to the skin and bone… And as I figured, there he was… Though, there was something strange going on with him…

I slowly walked towards him, where he stood… And I noticed, that he looked— relaxed. He didn't look tense at all…

As I got closer, surprising me that he hasn't felt like someone was behind him, I saw that he really was relaxing- it wasn't my imagination.

From my position, his head was titled upward, as if he wanted the rain to hit his face- not wanting to miss one single drop… I then brought my gaze to his arms and hands… And I noticed that his hands were unclenched, they were literally in a calm position. That's strange in itself, because he would usually have his hands balled up in a fist, as if he was stating that he was ready for anything- anything that he could get rid of with his fist. It made him seem- tense most of the time. His shoulders looked slouched, another sign showing that he was in some deep relaxation...

"_It's as if… He is __enjoying__ the rain…_" I thought, the idea being strange to me.

I finally stood next to him, and he still didn't notice my presence.

From my position, I looked up to see his face expression. His eyes were closed at the moment and the frown that is usually on his face wasn't there. His eyebrows weren't arched downward, and the creases on his face were absent. His whole face looked peaceful for once… Usually when anyone looks at his face, he would have at least a hint of a frown on his face- even a small one (whether he is angry or not). But right now, it was completely absent… His whole face- it was like looking at an once-in-a-lifetime masterpiece…

"_Such a mystery…_"

I hid the container I held behind my back, hoping that he won't notice it. I lifted one hand and lightly tapped his arm to get his attention.

I saw his eyes open and he quickly turned his head towards me. He blinked his eyes at me a few times, as if he didn't believe I was standing here. And of course, the familiar slight frown was back, his eyebrows arched downward- along with his mouth turning downward, forming a small scowl.

"_And he's back to normal._"

"What are you doing out here Chelsea?" He asked me, while I saw his eyes looking me up and down before they gazed into my eyes again.

I decided to answer his question by asking my own, "Why do you like the rain? You seemed so– relaxed a moment ago…"

"I asked you a question first," he replied.

"But mine is more interesting."

He just looked at me, not responding to my comment.

"I really do want to know… I mean, how could you like the rain?"

I saw his facial features turn into one of slight confusion.

"Why do you dislike the rain?"

I wiggled my nose in disdain.

"The same reason why everybody dislikes the rain. It's cold, wet, it's gloomy looking because of the dark clouds, people are forced to stay indoors and many other reasons I can think of. What exactly is there to like? If you ask me, I prefer the sunshine any day."

He looked at me for a moment longer before he looked out towards the ocean.

"Those things may be true… But you're only looking with your eyes…" He said in a low voice, almost hard to hear him over the pattering of the rain.

"Huh?"

I am somewhat confused. What exactly is he trying to say? Before I could ask him to elaborate, he continued.

"It's true that it's all of those things… But, you're misunderstanding its purpose... It may be cold and it looks intimidating, but that's its own way of showing its— affection…"

I blinked my eyes at him in surprise. He sounds so— calm... And almost, sad…

"Without rain, there would be no water. Without water, there would be no life… Without life- there's only the dead and death…"

I saw him fold his arms over his chest.

"The sun may seem like the best choice, but too much sun and everything dies from the heat- mostly all forms of life… I don't see what makes the sunshine better; it's too bright and hot. If you ask me, I prefer the rain."

I frowned slightly, going over his words in my head. His explanation made sense, but there's no need to bash the sun, the complete opposite of the rain… Having too much rain can have horrible consequences as well. And that is when a thought hit me, and I stated it out loud to him.

"But then… If it means that they are both horrible working alone… Wouldn't it be best to say that they are both needed in order for everything to work out? That they need to work together?"

He turned his head towards me, looking at me with a somewhat surprised look- if his widen eyes didn't indicate that. He then blinked a few times at me, and he gave me his mostly rare half smile.

"Sounds right… I didn't really think you were listening to me… I was just— talking, being honest…"

He looked away from me again, looking out towards the ocean once again. Waiting for his boat that would take him back to the city.

"Since you don't like the rain much… You should probably hurry back home…" He said, obviously directed towards me.

Even though he wasn't facing me, I still smiled in his direction slightly.

"Well… After hearing your opinion concerning the rain… I don't dislike the rain so much now… I now– appreciate it… So if you don't mind, can I stay out and enjoy the rain with you?"

"It's a wide world… You can do whatever you want."

I thought I heard him sigh almost quietly before I saw his head look upward towards the sky once again. Him going back to his relaxation mode.

I stayed in my position and I decided to try out what he was doing…

I closed my own eyes and just made my shoulders slouch- entering into my own relaxation state. I listened to the rain around me, and I felt the rain hit me everywhere against my skin… Instead of it being annoying- I found it to be refreshing…

And I continued to let the rain cleanse me, the outside of me- and somewhere within the depth of my soul… I felt like— it washed all of my troubles away…

He's right, there's nothing wrong with the rain.

* * *

**Vaughn's POV**

I knew she was still there… I didn't feel like she left the beach, a small surprise to me, but not by much. I didn't find her presence annoying though… I found it to be– somewhat welcoming… I think it's sort of– pleasant, well, at least to have another person view similar to mine and understand… The rain is doing this to me; it makes me feel _too_ relaxed…

I don't know how long we stood there, just listening to the rain around, and enjoying the quiet atmosphere… That is, until a loud horn sounded off…

I opened my eyes and looked in the direction where the sound came from, as I expected, the boat back to the city was there.

I unfolded my arms and started to walk towards the boat, but before I could take a few steps- I felt a tap on my arm.

I turned my head and sure enough, it turned out to be Chelsea.

"Yeah?"

I saw her hands move from behind her back and she held out something to me. I looked down at the item, a very large cylinder shaped plastic container, and on the lid, scrawled in black marker- it read 'Rice Pudding'…

I looked back at her face, my eyes slightly wider than normal (at least it felt like it), and she had this— smile on her face.

I have seen different smiles throughout my lifetime, and I can pretty much identify each of them without difficulty. Most smiles that are towards me are forced, just to be polite- and then there are the ones that are mocking to piss me off, more like smirks then smiles. And of course, there are the smiles that are meant to be on the 'flirty' side, though they quickly turn to a frown, pout, or even on the verge of tears once I open my mouth.

But this one she was giving me, was more on the— rare side… A genuine and natural smile… It didn't look forced and it definitely wasn't any of the latter… She was giving me a friendly smile, and I swear it felt like it was glowing very brightly... And it felt— warm… I felt like the warmth of her smile hit me, making me forget the coldness of the rain (even though I don't mind it at all)- and I felt like it hit something within me…It seems contagious too, as I almost felt like I needed to smile back, though I didn't.

I shook my head slightly, and forced myself to speak- which felt like it was a difficult task in itself.

"Wh-… Why did you make this for me?" I asked her, my question being completely serious.

I heard her giggle a little; I swear it echoed all around, penetrating the quietness around us- even through the pattering of the rain.

"You sound completely serious."

"It's because I am…"

She shook her head a little, some of the rain drops on her head splashing around, a different pattern then the rain that was falling.

"Well… I made it because you seemed to be so– frustrated lately… Ever since Will… Well, I just realized you seemed to be more bitter than usual. So, I made a whole container of rice pudding for you since you said you liked it. Why not take a whole container of it back home with you?"

She laughed a little before she continued.

"Now you can have some during the week! And of course, if you want more, just ask me and I'll gladly make you some more! After all, you're my friend too… Even you need cheering up."

I just blinked at her, not quite understanding her reasoning… But, it was nice for her to do this…

I put my hands around the container and I accidently brushed my fingers against her own. I withdrew my hands quickly, I felt like she burned them.

I saw her giving me a confused look for a moment, and then she surprised me by grabbing my wrist and turning my hand upward. She then put the container in my hand.

"Don't worry about the container, you can keep it. If you want, you can bring it back again and I'll use the same one to refill it… It's yours Vaughn."

I just sighed and shook my head, though I couldn't help but give a small smile.

"Alright, I'll take it- just because you're being persistent."

She smiled at me, and again I had the urge to smile back like a fool, but I once again didn't do it.

"HEY! ARE YOU GETTING ON THE BOAT OR NOT!" Someone shouted from the boat behind me.

I held the contained she gave me and I turned away from her to head towards the boat.

"Have a safe ride! I'll see you next week!" Chelsea shouted behind me.

I just reached the bottom of the plank that would take me to the deck of the boat. I turned my head from my position, and I saw that she was still standing in the same spot as before- while waving at me. The rain didn't seem to be bothering her now…

I just touched the tip of my hat at her, and she once again- smiled…

I looked away from her and started to walk up the plank, while absorbing the last bit of the rain- _this_ rain from this island- enjoying the feeling of it before I have to feel the smoggy, acid rain back in the city.

Once I was on the deck of the boat, I looked behind me to look at the beach once again. Chelsea wasn't there anymore… Though her smiling face flashed in my mind, now a burned image…

I have always appreciated the rain, and I have always found it relaxing… As far as I can remember, I never cursed it… I never could even if I wanted too…

But today, I felt like the rain was more special than usual…

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_

* * *

**AUTHOR'S COMMENTS/NOTES**

* * *

Zzzzz… Huh! You're here already? You woke me up from my nap... And look, I'M NOT DEAD! XD

Anyway, this chapter is a little— meh… But then again, I've been looking at it for a few weeks- you'll be sick of looking/reading it too after all of that time…

The song that played throughout the chapter is, this time, a song in— English XD Those of you that are game fans would know where this song came from. Those of you that are not, well, the song came from the game 'Sonic R'. XD I haven't played the game since forever! It's not a 'love' song or anything like that, but it's a little of the opposite of what this chapter is about. That song is all sunshine and stuff while this chapter is concerning the rain… But, that was the effect I was going for, at least, I hope I was… The name of the song is called, 'Can You Feel the Sunshine?', and the creator of the music was by Richard Jacques, though- I'm not sure about the singer though… It says by 'Crush 40', but I don't believe that- as the voices don't match up - it was the other songs that they sung for the Sonic games- 'Open Your Heart', 'Live and Learn' etc… Not only that- the original singer is a woman :/ Weird… And yes, when I say Sonic- I was referring to the blue hedgehog- not the sound wave thing… XD Though, there are two versions of this song- there's the creepy version and the 'happy'/original version… I used the 'happy'/original version, as I like that one… Though if you rather hear the creepy version… I keep reading stories that it's 'related' to something concerning a doll…

[**A SOMEWHAT IMPORTANT NOTE**]I know… I've been gone for almost 3 weeks (has it been more?) and I come back with THIS! Well, I have one other 'surprise' for you… Remember when I said (or wrote rather) that I was planning to make a shorter version of this story (a 'remake'; back in Chapter 6)? Well, it seems I'm going to have to take back that promise… As I reread the rules on this site. Yes, they do have rules and one of them happened to be about making more than one copy of your story (not allowed)… But, that's okay, I'm doing something else instead- and better if you ask me… I made a— EBook! I made an EBook of this story! :) All I have right now is the sample version, and I have a feeling that you (or at least some of you) will like the EBook version more than this online version here.

For those of you that don't know what an EBook is, it stands for 'Electronic Book'- it's a 'book' you would/could read on the computer… Anytime and anywhere. In other words- you don't even have to come here to read the story, once you have it on your computer- the 'book' is yours! :) For more information about it, including where to download the sample version etc., scroll down AFTER the… Wait… There are no numbers this time! OMG! It's number free! But, that's impossible! Well, uh… I guess I'll display that information after the— song lyrics below? Yeah, that'll do… OR, if you're impatient, go back to the 'Before You Read' page- I've updated it- a lot! :) The EBook information is towards the bottom on that page.

Well, this is the last filler– for now. What does that mean? It means there will be another one in the future, uh, WAAAAAY in the future. You probably won't even remember this note/comment when it does appear, at least, until I mention/say that the next chapter is/will be a filler… I'm going to miss using the quote thing though :/ Maybe I'll use it for a few selective chapters in the future… And if I do, I have an idea which ones to use it for…

As for the next chapter… Wow… The next chapter… I would give you a clue on what the next chapter is, at least the title, but, I think I'll keep it as a surprise instead… The next chapter will be full of— chaos! I wasn't planning to release this chapter on Valentine's Day… I was planning to release it earlier and release the NEXT chapter on Valentine's Day. Why? Because I'm sadistic like that XD I still wanted this chapter to come out before Feb. is over- since it is Black History Month, probably the reason why I used Langston Hughes quote (besides it sounding nice) and not use one of the other fabulous quotes… A hard decision…

Eh… What else? If you must know what took me so long to release this chapter, it's because classes started for me once again- and they are tough classes. I only have four in total- it may not sound like a lot, but the work that needs to be done for each one is… 2 out of the 4 classes, the teachers don't speak English too well- one is from Russia and the other is Chinese XD So… That's makes it difficult while the other 2 talk too fast (and one of them is WAY too excited when teaching). 2 of them are science classes and the other 2 are math classes- loads of fun right! While my schedule may look like it's free most of the time, I spend more than 13 hours studying a week during those 'free times'- and about time I get home- I'm puffed out (X_X). In other words, I'm busy. Chapters won't be coming out weekly like before; it might now be 2 chapters a month or one- whichever I can do… I'll see what the future brings…

Finally, before I stop my comments/notes completely, I have to thank the people that emailed me their concerns/worries/about the next chapter… Though, one of them sounded a little– something… It said something along the lines of me falling and possibly breaking my neck and thus not being able to continue the story due to an injury, and said person said it would suck… I— don't know if I should be happy for their concerns, be offended about the 'breaking neck' comment, or be worried for this person's sanity/weird addiction to this story XD I thanked you anyway (and you know who you are) for your concern(s). And the other 9 people that emailed me (that's 10 in total I received), I thank you as well. I gave you all the same reason(s) of why, that was explained in the previous paragraph basically.

And now onto the numbers! Oh wait… There's no numbers this time… I'm not use to this! D:

* * *

**EBOOK INFORMATION (SAMPLE):**

See 'Prologue & Story Information' for more information about this.

_**THANK YOU ALL FOR READING/REVIEWING (And to those that read anonymously)!**_


	18. cHaPtEr 17, cRuShEd

**cHaPtEr 17, cRuShEd**

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**SUMMER 16TH – WEDNESDAY**

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**Vaughn's POV**

I just got off the ferry, now walking along the familiar beach and without even thinking about it, heading towards the ranch of course.

It didn't take me to long to get there, and I was surprised to not find Mr. Rich Boy on the ranch- only Chelsea standing not far from me and Mark somewhere working in his fields. It looked like he was in a hurry…

Chelsea waved at me eagerly and then she ran up to me. She was obviously excited about something, she had this eagerness around her- and she was acting kind of jumpy… Not that she isn't that way sometimes.

"Why are you so jumpy today?" I asked her.

She pointed behind her, at the barn and coop it looked like.

"I want to show you something real quick," she said before she turned away from me and ran off towards the barn and coop area.

I quietly sighed to myself and just walked along until I saw the two buildings that held the animals. She was standing in front of the barn and she made a movement with her hand towards me to follow.

I took my time a little, just to annoy her— and because I wasn't sure what it was she wanted to show me… This better not be something stupid…

I finally stood in front of her, and she just entered the barn while holding the door open for me to walk inside myself. I took two big steps inside and immediately looked around the barn… It looked the same to me, and that includes the smell.

"Okay… What's so different than usual?" I asked her as I turned my head to look at her.

She closed the door and said, "Look around again. There's something different."

I sighed but I looked around the barn once again. I then noticed some sort of lever in the back of the barn. It was hard to see since it was the same color as the wood.

"Is that a lever?"

She appeared within my vision and nodded her head.

"Now, watch this," she said as she ran up to the lever.

She pushed the handle of it upward, and I heard a clicking sound come from somewhere within the barn.

I looked around, trying to find the source of it, and then I noticed a crack of sunlight along the ground- and it was getting bigger.

I looked up, towards the ceiling, and I could see the roof opening slowly- like a garage door.

It didn't take it long to open completely, letting all of the morning sunlight from outside inside the barn- along with the fresh air, somewhat obliterating the usual smell of the animals. The sunlight didn't blind me, as my hat kept the sun out of my eyes.

After staring at it for a few more moments, I then looked back at Chelsea.

She was looking upward herself, while using a hand to cover her eyes.

"It's nice isn't it? I think this was a good idea… I have to thank Gannon for building something out of the ordinary and thank Mark for coming up with the idea."

She then looked at me and giggled slightly.

"Though, I think he only thought of the idea because he's afraid to cut down any of his precious crops out there."

I almost rolled my eyes.

"Must be a tree hugger," I said in reply to that.

"Well it could be that or because it would be a waste of his money if he cut any of them down…"

I then remembered his somewhat anxiety when I first saw him out on the field.

"What's wrong with him anyway? He seemed to be in a hurry out in the field."

She gave me a confused look at first, probably trying to figure out the answer. But then she just smiled lightly, an answer clear in her mind.

"Oh yeah! Mark won the mining festival yesterday. He decided to focus more on the contest then his crops yesterday. Since he slacked off a bit he's making up for the work today… He has a lot to harvest…"

She looked up towards the ceiling again.

"This same mechanism is for the chicken coop as well…"

"There isn't one for the stable?"

She shook her head in reply.

"Gannon probably thought there wasn't a need for one. I don't blame him; I can easily take Dash outside and Keeper."

She looked away from the ceiling again.

"Well, now that I showed you this, time to get to work!"

"Since I'm already here, I might as well start here," I stated.

She nodded her head in agreement.

"I'll start at the chicken coop and open the roof there as well…"

I heard her sigh in relief before she continued with her thoughts.

"At least it's safer…" she said, sounding mostly sad.

And that is when another thought hit me.

"Hey… I remember you saying before about you almost– getting killed… When was that?"

She was looking away from me.

"I didn't mean to say that… I-It doesn't matter… Don't worry about it…"

She quickly walked towards the door, while passing me- but I wasn't going to let her give me such a vague answer. So, I gripped her wrist (it's so small, I noticed) before she passed by me completely. I heard her gasp slightly in surprise.

I pulled her wrist, forcing her to take a few steps back to be back in front of me.

"Why won't you tell me?" I asked her in all seriousness.

"B-Because it doesn't really matter… I'm alive aren't I? So, there's no need for you to know what happened…"

She tried to pull her wrist away, but my grip was firm (hopefully I wasn't hurting her). She still avoided looking at me.

"… But I want to know what happened…"

And that is when she looked at me, her eyes open wide, clearly surprised in some form. At the same time, I noticed something in her eyes, some sort of flicker it looked like. But before I could decipher what it was, or even think that what I saw was possibly a hallucination, I heard the door to the barn open behind me.

I internally scowled, angry with the interruption as I turned my head towards the door.

As I somehow expected, it was Mr. Rich Boy, his head poked into the barn. I saw him look around briefly before his eyes landed on us, and he just gave us both a smile.

"I thought you might be at the stable," he said as he came inside the barn completely.

"But then I saw the roof opening from there and I figured you might be here…"

He then blinked his eyes and chuckled lightly, though it sounded like it was an embarrassed one.

"Excuse my rudeness. I didn't even say 'Good morning' to you."

Chelsea stepped forward, giving me no choice but to let go of her wrist, and she shook her head at him.

"It's okay Will, no need to do that every morning when you see me."

He lightly smiled at her and said, "It's what I have been taught plus, it's common courtesy."

He then looked up towards the ceiling.

"What exactly is that mechanism?"

"It's like a sunroof…"

He then looked at her once again.

"To let fresh air inside the barn, with no consequences attached? Fascinating…" he said, maybe retreating within his own thoughts.

He then looked at me, as if he just noticed I was there.

"Good morning to you as well Vaughn."

I just lightly scoffed in reply, and he completely ignored my rudeness. He once again brought his attention to Chelsea.

"When you're done with work, will you have time to practice today? We couldn't do it last week due to the rain…"

She nodded her head in reply.

"I have time. It would be best to practice a lot today, the competition is next week. We only have but so much time left…"

He smiled at her response, and then I saw him gasp as if he just remembered something.

"Oh my goodness! I almost forgot to mention something Chelsea!"

I think he nearly gave her a heart attack, I saw her slightly jump. He must have noticed because he lightly chuckled.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound too excited or scare you…"

She just shook her head at his apology.

"What is it?"

He patted his jacket a bit, getting some invisible dirt off it looked like before he replied.

"Elliot was looking for you as well at the stable. But, he found me there instead … I told him I would look for you for him… He told me that once I find you, to tell you that he wants to speak to you about something…"

I frowned at his words. What does the nerd want with Chelsea? I voiced my question out loud.

"What does he want with her?" I asked him.

Will shrugged his shoulders in reply.

"I don't know, but it sounded urgent… He looked nervous…"

I once again scoffed.

"If you haven't noticed, that's how he acts most of the time. He always looks nervous."

"He does?" he said, looking completely bewildered.

He's obviously not very observant…

"You said he's at the entrance waiting?" Chelsea asked, now standing in front of the door.

I took a few long strides to the door, stopping just behind her.

"I guess he would be there," Will replied.

Chelsea opened the door and stepped out, with me being right behind her.

She was looking around, and standing on her tiptoes, I guess trying to look over the fields to see if Elliot was at the entrance. She obviously couldn't see over the mostly tall plants. She then groaned in annoyance and gave up. She then looked up at me.

"You're tall Vaughn. Do you see Elliot at the entrance?"

"I may be tall but that doesn't mean I can see over the crops."

She sighed and walked along, and I just following behind her.

Once we came around from the field, being by the fruit trees now, I could see a head of pink at the entrance. It either had to be Elliot or Natalie, but it's most likely Elliot.

He noticed us before we got too close to him. He gave a weak smile.

"Morning Chelsea… Morning Vaughn," he said, adding the last sentence quickly.

He then gave Chelsea a somewhat serious look.

"Chelsea… Can I talk to you real quick?"

I glared at him. It sounded like he wanted to talk to her, but alone.

"What do you want with her?" I asked him.

"What's wrong with him talking to her?"

I turned my head to look at Will.

"I didn't say she couldn't."

"Then what's the problem?" he asked, sounding serious and slightly confused.

Before I could reply, Chelsea spoke up.

"Okay Elliot, let's talk over there," she said, while pointing to an area next to one of the other buildings.

Elliot nodded his head and headed in that direction. Chelsea looked at me.

"You can start with the barn if you want to while I am busy."

I sighed, but agreed. She took out the milker from her rucksack and gave it to me.

"Would you like me to do anything?" Will asked from behind me.

"Uh… Well, I didn't really expect you to help… But, if you want, you can do the work inside the stable."

Will appeared beside me and he nodded his head eagerly. She took out the brush and gave Will the item.

"Can you brush Dash down and fill the feeding bins with food?"

Will took the brush and nodded his head.

"I can do that."

He then walked away happily. I scoffed at the horrible sight.

"Don't forget to leave out 10 tanks of milk for me," she reminded me.

I gave her a nod and turned around to head back to the barn.

While walking, I couldn't help but look back. I saw her heading in the direction where she asked Elliot to wait. I looked back ahead to pay attention to where I was going.

_"I wonder what he wants with her…"_

* * *

**Chelsea****'s POV**

I stopped next to the maker's shed, now standing in front of Elliot. I looked at him closely and he did look kind of stressed out about something.

"What can I do for you Elliot?"

He used one of his hands to rub the side of his arms and he gave me a slightly sad look.

"I wanted to ask you if you noticed anything odd about Mark lately…"

"What do you mean by odd?"

He sighed and looked down at the ground.

"Well… I have been noticing that for the 'Fun Mondays' he made up… He doesn't do them anymore… He makes you do them instead… And that he seems a little less cheerful then usual… Lastly, he doesn't talk to me much anymore…"

I already had a feeling where the conversation might lead to, but I decided to let him clear that up for me instead.

"Why don't you talk to him about it then? Wouldn't it be best to ask him what's wrong or what's bothering him?"

_"Even though I have an idea what might be wrong with him…"_ I thought to myself.

"Here's the thing… He's avoiding me it seems… I tried before to ask him what's bothering him, but he either ignores me or doesn't talk… Even when I came here not too long ago. I saw him out on his fields and he saw me. But instead of greeting me, as he always use to, he just went deeper within the fields…"

I sighed and said, "Maybe he just wants some time to himself… He's been like that due to the mining festival… Maybe all of the work is taking a major toll on him now."

He looked at me briefly before he looked away again.

"I also noticed that his behavior has changed since Spring… Ever since he told me that he was going to talk to you…"

I felt my eye wince a bit. It looks like Mark told Elliot about the meeting at the mountain… He seems to be indicating that it's my fault too for his change of behavior…

"Can you tell me what exactly happened on that day?" he asked me, now looking at me again.

I sighed once again, mostly regretting the answer I was about to give him.

"I can't really tell you what happened… It's— private…"

"But… I have every right to know what's wrong with him. He's my best friend."

"I-I know, but I just can't share what happened…"

Elliot fixed his glasses, even though they looked straight already. He closed his eyes and sighed sadly.

"You can't even tell me a little of what happened? Or at least give me a clue?"

I shook my head.

"I'm sorry Elliot…"

He opened his eyes again and looked at me, giving me a pleading look.

"I really am sorry Elliot, but it's not really my– place to share what happened… Mark will tell you when he's ready…"

"Yeah… Well, sorry for disrupting your work… I know you have a lot to do."

He sighed before he continued, "As do I… I'll most likely be shipping crates most of the night…"

He gave me a weak wave and said, "See you later Chelsea… Tell Mark I said 'Hi' too— if you see him that is…"

He then walked passed me.

Though, I heard his footsteps stop for a moment. I turned around to face him once again.

"You know… Whatever happened, it must have been really bad or something to make him be this way… I just want my best friend back…"

He sighed once again and continued his walk to the exit. I watched him until I couldn't see his figure anymore.

I held back a frustrated sigh and headed towards the stable instead.

I opened the door and it looked like Will was just finishing up. Keeper was by his heels looking up at him; maybe wondering why he was doing the work and not Vaughn or me…

Keeper looked over where I stood and he ran up to me happily with his tongue sticking out. He yelped at me happily and I stooped down to pat his head and scratch behind his ears.

Will looked towards us, probably wondering what caused Keeper's excitement. He smiled at me from his position.

"I'm done doing as you asked," he said.

I stood back up and looked over his work. It looked good overall, nothing looked out of place or wrong.

I noticed that he was looking at me, expecting a comment from me I guess- over his work.

"Well Will, I think you did a good job."

His smile widened at the comment.

"I'm glad to hear that."

"Not that I really expected any less from you," I continued.

He gave me a slight confused look, I continued my thoughts.

"I mean, you have your own horse, you're probably use to brushing it down and all."

I saw his face turn a slight reddish color.

"That's true, but I still would like to hear it from you…"

He then reached out a hand to me, the brush in that hand. I took it from him and put it back in my rucksack.

He patted Dash's back lightly.

"I can't wait for the competition…"

I nodded my head in agreement, feeling a small smile upon my face. But then I remembered the recent animal competition, and my smile faded.

"Hopefully nothing goes wrong this time…"

Will gave me a look of sympathy, but he gave me a small smile.

"Just don't think about it... It was just a small unfortunate occurrence. Besides…"

He took a few steps towards me, the smile still on his face.

"… It wouldn't be fair if you decided to drop out… I wouldn't have anybody to compete against… I want a friendly competition with someone I am familiar with… I need to get my courage from somewhere…"

I just lightly laughed it off, though I felt my face get a little hot from his comment.

"That's nice of you to say Will… Of course, I look forward to winning," I said to him as I stuck my tongue out at him.

He looked at me in surprise, his eyes opened wide. I guess I caught him by surprise. But then he seemed to regain his normal posture.

"I guess I better watch out then."

I shook my head at him and I turned towards the door to head out.

"I'll be back. I got to turn some of the animal products into something else…"

"I'll be waiting here… Actually, I have to go get Arthur ready…"

I nodded my head and then I reached out a hand to open the door. But, another hand beat me to it. I felt someone a little close from behind me.

"I'll get that," Will said in a low voice, his voice felt close to my ear.

I stuttered a little in protest, but he held the door open for me anyway.

He looked at me as he held it open, with his usual polite smile.

"I should be holding the door for you. You work hard enough…"

I almost rolled my eyes at that comment. Opening the door doesn't require _that_ much work.

I walked out the stable with Keeper running beside me. I heard the door close behind me and Will appeared in front of me.

"I'll get Dash ready for you as well. No brittle again?"

I nodded my head in reply.

"I'll be back then," he said as he turned away and headed towards the exit.

I watched him for a moment before I headed towards the area where the chicken coop and barn was.

Once I stood in front of the chicken coop, I just walked in- and all of chickens greeted me with their happy clucking and fluttering their feathery wings. I lightly laughed at the sight.

"Morning everyone!"

I looked around the coop for Peck, it's didn't take me long to find her.

"Hey Peck, let's see how healthy you are today."

I bent down to her level and I moved the feathers around on her body.

After looking over her for the next few minutes, very carefully, I was glad to see that there wasn't any sign of that ringworm- or any other pests or parasites on her, as far as my eyes can see anyway...

I sighed in relief and I ruffled her feathers more, showing my happiness to her.

"You're all better girl!"

Since she's better, that means that the others should be as well. That fact made me really happy, though, I should ask Dr. Trent if the medicine is needed anymore. Better to be safe than sorry…

I stood back up and looked around the coop, looking for a similar lever like at the barn. It didn't take me long to find it, towards the back of the coop like in the barn.

I ran up to it and pushed the handle upward. Like in the barn, the roof slowly opened, letting the sun and air inside the coop. And the chickens clucked even more happily, excited, even though it has been a few days since the contraption was installed.

I quickly went around the coop, putting chicken feed into their feeding bins. After that was done, I then started the scavenger hunt for the eggs; it took me a few minutes to find them all.

As I put the last egg into my rucksack, I heard the door to the coop open. I looked towards the door, and in walked in Vaughn.

He at first looked up towards the ceiling, looking at the opening briefly before he looked towards me.

"It's nice and refreshing for the chickens… But now you have another problem to worry about…"

I gave him a confused look.

"And what's that?"

"Predators," he simply answered.

I was still confused. The predators can't get them when they are inside the coop; the only thing that is open is the ceiling. Unless of course, the predator is really hungry and would try to climb inside the coop- and then fall down to their death… But still, that's a long climb…

"What predators? Nothing can get in here," I stated.

He shook his head and pointed at the opened roof.

"I'm not talking about the ones on the ground. I'm talking about the ones in the air."

Okay, a predator in the air…

I thought about what it could be, but the answer didn't come to me… I shook my head, giving up.

"I give up Vaughn. What predator is it?"

He frowned at me slightly and said, "The hawk of course. The red-tailed hawk**_(1)_** to be more specific."

I put my hands on my waist and huffed a little.

"As if I would know that! Not everyone is as knowledgeable as you about animals you know."

His frown loosened a little.

"And that's why I still have a job…"

I sighed in frustration, now facing this new problem that he presented me.

"Well, what can I do about it?"

He folded his arms over his chest and he had a thoughtful look on his face. He remained silent for a moment, and then he opened his mouth to speak- with a solution to the problem hopefully…

"I'll tell you what, don't worry about it too much… They rarely eat chickens anyway…"

"But it still happens, doesn't it?"

He sighed, in frustration I think.

"Alright… I'll think of something… Just close it a little before six and they'll be fine most likely."

I nodded my head to him in thanks.

He then took a few long strides towards me and he held out the milker to me. I simply took it back and put it into my rucksack.

I looked at Peck, and then smiled, remembering the good news.

"Oh yeah! Peck's all better now!"

Vaughn looked where Peck was and he walked over to her himself. I saw him bent down to his knees and he examined the chicken himself.

"What? You don't trust my word?" I asked him, slightly offended by his actions.

"It doesn't hurt to have another set of eyes to look at her," he said as he continued to examine her.

Not that long after, he stood back up, a hint of a smile on his face.

"You're right. She looks all better… Just be careful that she doesn't eat anything contaminated this time."

I nodded my head, not wanting to really argue that point.

Just then, the door to the chicken coop opened once more. As I somehow expected, Will was there, and he let himself inside.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked me from the doorway.

I shook my head.

"No. I have to take care of the milk products first…"

"Okay. I'll just wait for you at the entrance with Arthur and Dash."

He then left the coop, the door quietly closing behind him.

I heard Vaughn scoff and then he looked at me, looking slightly irritated.

"I'll never understand why you're helping the competition," he commented.

"It's only a friendly one, no big deal… Haven't I already explained this to you?"

"Just because you explained it to me, it doesn't mean I understand the point to it- or understand it at all…"

I shrugged my shoulders and I headed towards the door to leave. I could hear the footsteps of his boots heading in the same direction as me.

I opened the door and exited out, Vaughn not too far behind me most likely.

I headed towards the barn once again and immediately went inside.

As I instructed him to do, he left tanks of the milk on the ground… Though, I counted 11 instead of 10.

"How come I see-"

"That's because I left an extra one for me… That is, if you don't mind me taking one…"

I turned my head to look at him and said, "I always ask if you want to take one with you. Why would my answer be different today?"

He just nodded his head.

I looked away from him and I began to pick up the tanks and I put them into my rucksack. I picked up the last one, the extra one, and I walked over to Vaughn with it swinging in my hand. I lifted it a bit in order for him to take it.

He took it from me and touched the tip of his hat in gratitude.

"You're welcome Vaughn," I said with a small smile.

I started heading out, with Vaughn following behind me of course. As I opened the door, I asked him, "You want any refills yet?"

I had a feeling he was giving me a confused look.

I turned to face him once I heard the door close behind me.

"I'm talking about the rice pudding, Vaughn."

I then heard a low grumble from him. It took me a moment to realize that it was him just clearing his throat.

"I knew that…"

"Sure you did."

He said nothing for a moment and then he said, "If you must know, no… It has been only about a week Chelsea. There was no way I would finish a whole container within that timeframe…"

"You and your sweet tooth? I'm surprised."

I heard him lightly scoff. I just giggled a little in reply, which I think irritated him more.

I turned away from him and continued my walk, Vaughn following behind me a bit.

We finally reached the entrance, and as Will mentioned to me already, he was waiting there with his own horse and Dash. He was sitting upon Arthur's back, while he had a hand on the back of Dash.

I heard Vaughn groan while I saw Will smile at me from his position.

"Ready?" he asked me as I got closer.

I shook my head at him.

"Still got some work to do."

He just nodded his head in understanding.

Vaughn walked passed me, not even waving goodbye to me.

I turned away, ready to head towards the maker's shed, but Will's voice stopped me- though he wasn't talking to me.

"Excuse me Vaughn… But I've been meaning to ask you something…"

I turned around in time as Vaughn faced Will. I couldn't tell from my position if he was glaring at him or not.

"What?" he asked, annoyance in his voice.

I couldn't tell if Will reacted to his tone or not.

"I wanted to know if you have any extra fences."

"Fences? What do you need a fence for?"

I saw Will bring one hand up and he swept his fingers through his hair, pushing it down and back.

"The fence I am referring to is the kind for jumping over."

I once again couldn't see Vaughn's expression, but I imagined it being a slight confused one.

"What the hell are you talking about? Why would you want a fence that is so low that the animals can escape?"

Will shook his head.

"I want to use them for practice- for the horses…"

Vaughn didn't say anything. I just saw him standing there, maybe he was thinking?

"This fence that you want- it's only for you?"

"Not exactly… I want to practice with Arthur of course… But, I think Chelsea and Dash should as well. It'll be good for them due to the-"

"Do you even know if she can direct a horse to jump? Let alone, jump _over_ a fence?" he asked, interrupting him in the process; I could clearly hear the soon-to-come anger coming from his tone.

"Truthfully, I don't know if she can do that or not. Though, that is not a major problem. I can teach her."

"Are you stupid?" Vaughn said, sounding mostly sarcastic.

I don't think Will reacted, not in anger anyway…

"What's makes you say that?" Will asked, his voice still calm as ever.

I heard a scoff, Vaughn most likely.

"I'm saying what happens if she misses or misjudges the jump? Then what! Dash will get hurt and so will Chelsea. Let me repeat what I asked… _Are you stupid_?" Vaughn stated, though he said the last statement, each word slowly, as if he was talking to a mentally challenged person.

I once again couldn't tell if Will reacted to his harsh tone or words…

"As far as I know, I am a very intelligent person… I am not dense in any form…" Will's voice still sounded calm and 'normal', as if Vaughn didn't just insult him.

"I wouldn't worry about Chelsea getting hurt. I won't let it happen," Will stated simply, almost sounding serious and like a promise that he won't break.

I heard another scoff, Vaughn of course.

"As if I trust your judgment…" I heard Vaughn say to him in a somewhat low tone, making me almost not hear his words.

Vaughn then began to take a few steps away from Will, but he wasn't finished with his thoughts apparently.

"I'll be there with the materials, but I'm going to stay and watch- and I'm not taking 'No' as a answer," he said as he continued his walk.

"I wasn't planning to. I'll see you there," Will replied, not sounding sarcastic at all; it was more one of welcoming his presence there.

I didn't hear a reply from Vaughn. Though, even if he did say something, I wouldn't have been able to hear it, as he was too far for me to hear…

I turned away from the scene and sighed as I continued my walk to the Maker's Shed.

"_This is not going to end well…_" I thought.

Once I reached the shed, I quickly turned the animal products into their secondary forms and I put them into the shipping bin- taking only a few minutes at most.

I left the shed and headed back towards the entrance, and Will was still waiting there with Dash by his side. He noticed me and lightly smiled.

"Are you ready now?"

"Let me get Keeper first. He could use a good run too."

He just nodded at me. I turned away and headed towards the nearby stable.

"And Chelsea! Just to let you know, Vaughn will be joining us today!"

"_I know…_" I thought.

This is _really_ not going to end well…

* * *

**Julia's POV**

I looked towards the doors as I heard it open, the bell ringing above it as usual. Of course, it was only Vaughn.

"Morning Vaughn!" I said to him with a smile along with my usual happiness.

He just groaned in answer as he continued his walk towards the back, to go start his work of course. But then, he stopped his walking course not too far from the counter, his frown deepening I noticed.

"What is he doing here?"

"Why? Does he need a reason to come by?" I asked him, getting a little huffy.

Before Vaughn could reply, with a offensive response most likely, Elliot spoke up.

"I-It's okay Julia… I have to go do other work… Is there anything I need to pack from here?" he asked me.

I nodded my head.

"As always, some milk needs to be packed away… Though, I'm not sure about any wool…"

I looked towards the door as Vaughn just reached it.

"Let me know if there are any wool products for Elliot to pack!" I shouted to Vaughn.

I heard him make some sort of snort noise before he replied, "I'll leave the stuff he needs to pack outside."

He opened the door, and walked in, though I thought I saw something silver swinging in his other hand… He closed the door before I could ask what it was.

I just shrugged my shoulders and sighed. I looked back at Elliot with a smile on my face, but it slowly became one of concern- as I saw the sad look on his face.

"Elliot… What's wrong?"

He sighed and he just patted my hand gently, which was relaxed on the counter.

"Nothing Julia… I just have a lot of work to do…"

He sighed again and he shook his head. He looked so depressed. I smiled at him lightly, an idea coming to my head that will guarantee to cheer him up!

"You have been working hard lately Elliot… How about we come up with something special for you? For all of the hard work that you have done. It doesn't have to be anything fancy… It'll just be a carefree day for you- for us both actually… What do you say?"

Elliot nodded his head, and I slowly saw the smile appear on his face.

"That would be great Julia… I could use a break— and you too of course!"

I just giggled at his words.

"So, what should we pl-"

"B-but maybe not today Julia… I really do have a lot of work to do… It'll take me all day- possibly till night…"

I sighed sadly, but I smiled again.

"Well then, how about tomorrow? And even if you are busy tomorrow, I'll just set up a surprise date instead," I said in final, though I stuck out my tongue a little.

He just laughed lightly and said, "I know you would."

He turned away from me and headed towards the door. He opened it, but he turned his head to face me once more. He waved at me lightly.

"I'll see you Julia."

"You're always welcomed."

His smile widened and then he left, making me sigh in disappointment at his too soon departure.

Another door opened, the back door- I didn't have to look to know it was only Vaughn.

It didn't take me long to see him within my eyesight- with some odd stuff in his hands.

"What are you doing with all of that wood?" I asked him.

He gave me a sideway glance, along with his traditional glare.

"None of your business."

"Don't give me that! I will tell Mom if I have to! That you're up to no good!"

He mumbled something under his breath for a moment.

"I'm going to build small fences…"

"For who? Chelsea?"

That's strange… I thought she told me a few days ago about having the animal buildings being remodeled instead of building a fence… Has she changed her mind?

Vaughn shook his head.

"It's not for Chelsea- not exactly anyway… It's for the horses… For them to jump over them…"

I did a double take over what he said, and I was slightly confused.

"What gave her- or whoever- the sudden urge to do this?"

He said nothing as I tapped my fingers lightly on the counter.

"Oh! Of course, it's just like her to do that… It's exciting! Is that the reason she gave you?"

He remained silent. I was about to tell him to talk or else, but he did before I could…

"Will requested it…"

He then quickly left the shop with the materials in his hands before I could ask him any questions or an explanation, leaving me alone in the shop once again…

I giggled at his 'eagerness'. He clearly doesn't like Will hanging with Chelsea so much. He also didn't have to agree with Will's (if it was really him that asked for the fences) task, he could have ignored him— or got Gannon to do it…

I chuckled at the thoughts, Vaughn really is something…

I looked towards the backdoor, and just realized that Vaughn didn't leave the products outside, so that Elliot could pick them up!

I groaned, now seeing that I have to do it… He's been slacking off a bit lately.

"_Lazy…! Calls everyone else one except himself!_" I thought.

I just came around from the counter when I heard the bell ring.

I heard the voice before I could turn around to see the face.

"You're up Julia?" my Mom asked me, clearly surprised.

I nodded my head, not turning to face her.

"Yeah. Elliot woke me up… You're going to watch over the shop now?"

"Yeah. So, you can go to the spa or whatever."

I opened the backdoor and walked inside, but shouted behind me, "Thanks Mom! I have to do this first though!"

The door just closed behind me and I looked around the area. I then saw the things I was looking for- the animals products Vaughn didn't bring outside. I shook my head at the sight. None of the items were neatly put in the corner. They were scattered, as if he was in a hurry.

I couldn't help but chuckle again.

"_Something is distracting him alright._"

* * *

**Chelsea****'s POV**

Will and I just reached the meadow, and as Will already told me- Vaughn would be joining us today…

"_Please... Let there be no problems…_" I prayed in my own mind, hoping the Harvest Goddess would hear my silent words.

Vaughn didn't notice us, as he was busy hammering away at a piece of wood it looked like, most likely blocking out other sounds around him. I looked around the whole meadow area, and I saw a few wood 'fences' in different places. They were small enough for the horses to jump over them. I saw Will nod his head at the sight.

"He certainly does know his work… It's exactly what I asked for," Will commented.

I nodded my head in agreement.

"Vaughn is serious about his work. He always makes sure that his work is well done," I stated to him.

Will just nodded.

I called out to Vaughn to get his attention, but he continued to hammer away.

I urged Dash closer to where he was, Will beside me with Arthur.

"Vaughn…!" I said, to gain his attention once again.

He heard me that time, as I was only a feet or less behind him.

I saw him stop his work as he turned his head to look at me.

"I did hear you the first time. I was just finishing up is all," he replied.

He stood back up, picking up his tool box as well. He put his small hammer back into his toolbox. He then lightly wavered his hand at the small wooden 'fence'.

"What do you think?" he asked, though I wasn't sure if his question was directed at me or both me and Will.

"They're nice Vaughn," I told him.

I saw Will nod his head as he looked around the meadow again.

"It makes me wonder… Are you sure you weren't once a carpenter?"

Vaughn somewhat scowled and he shook his head.

"I've never been a carpenter. I'm just good with fixing things and such," Vaughn said.

I decided to cut in before something else was said between them.

"So Will, why did you ask Vaughn to build these fences?" I asked him, even though I already knew the answer.

"I thought we should let the horses practice jumping over them. Isn't there a 'Talent' part for the horse contest?" Will asked me.

I didn't know the answer, so I looked at Vaughn for an answer. He looked at me, but he said nothing.

"_Vaughn…_"

He sighed, as if I was annoying, and said, "There are four parts to the contest. There is the 'Popularity' section, the 'Visual and Health' section, the 'Vigor' section, and-"

He glanced at Will briefly before he continued, "-the 'Talent' section as Will already guessed…"

"Isn't 'Vigor' and 'Talent' almost the same thing?" I asked.

Vaughn shook his head.

"It should be called the 'Racing' section or something, because that is what it is- but it's not for some odd reason… I don't make them up, I just state them…"

I made a 'O' shape of my mouth. Now that he mentioned all of the sections, the horse competition sounded serious and hard... Should I really enter?

Will interrupted my thoughts.

"Ready to begin Chelsea?"

I nodded my head, full of confidence. But, I looked at the small 'fences' around the meadow and I felt nervous.

"O-Oh, I don't know… Can I really jump over those?"

Will gave me a low laugh.

"You'll do just fine. But, if you feel that way, I'll show you how it's done first. Will that be better?"

I nodded my head, happy that he thought of the idea. He smiled at me lightly and said, "Well then, watch closely- a professional is at work."

He quickly winked at me and then he turned Arthur away from me. I heard Vaughn scoff, maybe not believing that Will is a 'professional'.

He first made Arthur walk around the meadow, around the small 'fences', slowly gaining speed. Not that long after, as I continued to watch him closely, his horse soon broke into a reasonable speed- between a run and jog.

Will guided his horse to the nearest 'fence' to him. As he got closer to it, he yelled instructions, but he wasn't being forceful, "Jump!"

Arthur made the jump as soon as the word left Will's mouth, and he made it over the 'fence'. Will continued the cycle, jumping over the rest of the 'fences' that were scattered over the meadow. When he reached the last one, the one closer to Vaughn and me. He made Arthur jump from a father distance, making Arthur jump over the 'fence' with some sort of grace, and making him land in front of me- his horse and mine not that far from each other (to touch their noses). Will's horse shook its head (more like swung it's head side to side), and Will did a similar thing with his own head…

"_One of a kind…_" I thought.

I think I heard Vaughn scoff in disgust. I covered his rudeness by making a fake cough.

"That was good Will! After watching you, I don't think I can teach Dash all of that…"

"And that's why I am here to help you," Will said to me.

He wavered his hands towards the 'fences' and said, "It'll take some work, but I believe you can do it."

He faced me once more and said, "You don't have to teach him verbal commands. They can be physical commands as well… Which do you prefer?"

"Flip a coin?" I asked; it didn't matter to me.

But, I thought about it, and I decided to pick one.

"Actually, let me try out the physical commands," I said, changing my mind.

He nodded his head and made Arthur go into a trot, I trailed behind him.

Once we were in front of the closest 'fence', Will began to instruct me on what to do.

* * *

**Vaughn's POV**

They've been at this 'training' for hours, it's probably a little past 6 at least, and I was still keeping an eye on the whole session… As much as I hate admitting this to myself, I haven't been able to point out one thing he has done wrong. The instructions he was giving her were crystal clear and his demonstrations were clear as well. I can't really say anything or complain.

Chelsea has been able to get Dash to bring up it front hoofs high enough over the small 'fences', but she hasn't really tried to get Dash to jump over them. I think she is still nervous and possibly afraid that she'll hurt herself… She somewhat doesn't seem to trust in Dash either– at least, not fully… If she just gave him a chance, she can get him to jump over them easily… But, I can understand her caution…

It looked like they were about to end because Chelsea and Will began to lead their horses back towards the meadow entrance, where I stood by the bridge. They stopped in front of the bridge, next to me.

Chelsea stretched her arms above her head and let out a loud yawn. She was obviously tired.

"I'm tired," she said, stating the obvious.

I looked around the meadow, wondering if I should bring these 'fences' back to the shop, or leave them here... Chelsea answered the unspoken question for me.

"We're doing this again tomorrow Will?" she asked him.

"Practice makes perfect," Will said to her.

"So you want me to leave the stuff here?" I asked, my question directed to either of them truthfully.

"As far as I know, it's not going to rain tomorrow. So, you can leave the stuff here if you want Vaughn. If it'll make it easier for you," Chelsea said to me.

I just nodded my head.

"I'm going to bring Dash back to the ranch real quick."

"I can do that for you, if you want..." I said to her.

She yawned again; it seemed a little louder than the last one.

"Sure. Why not Vaughn? I could use the extra sleep," she said to me.

She swung one of her legs over, the other followed, and then she jumped down the rest of the way. I walked up to Dash's side, and since I was way taller than Chelsea, I was able to get on the back of the horse easily. Will didn't say anything, I noticed. Chelsea walked passed me and started her walk across the bridge, and Will stayed beside her while still on his own horse. I trailed behind them; the bridge is only but so wide.

It didn't take us long to reach the trail, and since Chelsea's house is right next to the meadow- she was in front of her house in no time. She looked at me from her position and lightly smiled.

"I'll see you tomorrow Vaughn," she said to me.

I touched the tip of my hat in reply.

She then looked at Will, and she did the same thing towards him.

"I'll see you tomorrow as well Will."

Will just gave her a nod along with his own smile.

"Have a good night sleep Chelsea," he said.

Chelsea turned away from us and went inside her house.

I made Dash go into a trot, ignoring Will completely. It didn't take me long to reach the front entrance of the shop. At the same time, I met up with Julia; she was just coming into the shop herself. She smiled at me, her slick smile.

"_Here we go..._"

She then looked away from me slightly, beside me.

"Hello Will," she said to him.

"Hello to you as well Julia. I'm sorry that I don't have much time to talk to you."

"It's okay Will... Thanks again for allowing me to use the spa on your ship. It really does a lot for my skin and beauty."

"I'm not sure why you need it. You're already as beautiful as you can be."

She lightly laughed at his comment and I literally rolled my eyes, couldn't help it that time.

"I'm glad to hear an honest comment," she said to him

"Goodnight Julia."

He then looked at me and said, "Goodnight Vaughn."

Julia waved at him, but I didn't, I just watched him continue his trotting upon his horse. I lost sight of him as soon as he landed on the beach. I looked back at Julia and waited for the expected 'talk' about my business.

"So... Where have you been for many hours?"

"Nowhere," I told her simply.

"Really? Then, how come you and Will are riding alongside each other?"

"Actually, he was behind me. So, of course he'll be beside me when he needs to get past me."

"Uh-huh... You know, if I remember right, Chelsea told me that she has been training with Will for the competition. What are you doing with the horse?"

I decided to end the conversation and ask her where she has been.

"You say you were at his ship because of the spa... What took you so long to come back?"

"Unlike you, I don't get embarrassed."

I glared at her, but she ignored it and she smiled at me before she continued, "Anyway, I just saw Elliot still on the beach doing his work. I was able to talk to him for the next few minutes, but you know, I didn't want to distract him from his work too much… Like you do on a daily bases when you help Chelsea on the ranch."

I patted the side of Dash's neck, somewhat signaling him to keep moving- and deciding to ignore her completely. I kept Dash on the trail, heading towards the ranch.

* * *

**Elliot's POV**

It has been a few hours since I last saw Will… Him giving me a goodbye wave of goodnight. And I am still putting crates onto the shipping boat…

I just put another small crate containing crops from Mark's ranch onto the boat. I looked over the railing of the boat and sighed at how many crates I had left that were still by the entrance of the beach. There were still a lot of them. I sighed again out of frustration.

"_Another all nighter…_"

Even though Natalie pushed me all morning to work hard (along with a hit or two from grandpa's 'borrowed' cane), I still had a lot of crates to put onto the boat…

"Some help she turned out to be…" I grumbled under my breath.

I nervously looked up, for at least the hundredth time throughout the day, at the crate that hung on a rope above… The rope was tied to a crane, the neck of it- it was long enough to reach the sands of the beach, over the railing of the boat. It made me nervous… It was a very large crate, much bigger than the ones I carried onto the boat, obviously very heavy. I made sure I avoided it the whole time I put crates onto the boat…

I shook my head and looked away from the large crate. I still had work to do…

I walked down the plank and walked back over to the other crates piled up on one another- making sure to avoid the crane holding the large crate. I picked up a small crate, containing whatever contents inside. And I started my walk on the sandy beach, taking slow steps- mostly dragging my feet… My energy is literally drained. I feel way too tired to use anymore of it. The crate began to feel heavy and I stopped in my tracks to put the crate onto the ground. I wiped my forehead, wiping away the sweat. And that is when, I heard a sound.

I whipped my head behind me, dashing my eyes around to find the source of the sound. Of course, due to my type of luck, it was dark and I could barely see anything through the darkness. I rounded my head in other directions- still nothing…

"_What was that sound…_?"

I thought what the sound could possibly be. But, I'm so nervous that I can't really think straight.

I bent down, while still looking around frantically, still trying to see through the dark.

I heaved the crate and continued my walk.

"_It must have been my imagination_," I thought.

But, I heard the sound again.

I felt myself hyperventilating; along with me quickening my steps- and still looking around.

"_What_ _was that sound!_"

If I hear anything- that means I'm not alone... Right?

I stopped walking momentarily, while _still_ looking around.

"I-Is there anyone there?" I asked nervously.

I got no response. I stayed in my spot, still looking around. And then, a thought hit me. I sighed, an angry one.

"Natalie…! Why are you scaring me now? I thought Mom told you to let me do the rest of the work!" I somewhat yelled through the darkness.

Usually when I 'catch' Natalie torturing me, she'll be snickering and then come out of hiding. But, there was no snickering, not even a hint of it. And I began to panic.

"De-Denny?"

Maybe it was him? He does live on the beach… Maybe he had a late night stroll?

But, once again, I didn't get a response… I could feel a lot of sweat on my forehead, and I know it wasn't from the work… I was about to look toward Denny's shack, hoping to see a light, but that's when I heard a very loud creaking sound.

I looked, all around again, I swear I wanted to cry, because I didn't find this funny- and if my sister was doing this…! And then I heard something snap. This time, I thought I heard it coming from _above_ me. I looked up upward, and the big crate that I've made sure to avoid, was falling down- towards me.

I didn't have a lot of time to think. I dropped the crate that was in my hands and I immediately bought my hands and arms above myself- to cover my head and face.

I just know that what happened next- I heard loud sounds- cracks, before the pain and darkness overwhelmed me…

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**SUMMER 17TH – THURSDAY**

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**Taro's POV**

"Where is he!" my daughter shouted.

I sighed, finding my daughter's little tantrum ridiculous.

"Not so loud…! It's late and ya'll wake up the other youngin'," I reminded my daughter.

"So you're telling me not to worry! It's 1 in the morning and you're telling me not to worry or panic!"

I sighed and stood up from my seat.

"I'll check. The youngin' probably tripped and broke a box. Probably hidin' or fixin' what he can…"

I grabbed my good ole' cane and walked out the door.

It was still dark out, making it hard to see through the darkness. My eyes are not the same as when I was a youngin'.

I walked down the path until I reached the entrance of the beach- where I saw piles of small crates on one another. I groaned in anger.

"Lazy boy…!"

I walked around the crates and looked around the beach. There wasn't enough light for me to see around the beach. I walked forward, and I thought I saw something big- close to the shoreline. As I got closer, I began to feel alarmed. I thought I saw Elliot's head, with a big crate over his body.

I prayed that what I saw was just a hallucination, a trick that my ole' eyes were playing… But, I wasn't seeing things… I saw my grandson on the ground, lying very still…

"Elliot!"

* * *

**Chelsea****'s POV**

I heard a very loud knocking on my door, and whoever it was knocking kept doing it without pausing.

I groaned from my bed, slightly annoyed that my sleep was interrupted. I was about to yell from my position on the bed to tell the person to come back later, but the voice on the other side beat me to it.

"Chelsea! It's Mark! Open the door please!"

I rubbed my eyes with my arm and sat up on my bed. I turned to put my feet onto the floor. I stood up from my bed and walked over to the bookshelf that I rested my wristwatch on. I looked at it- and it read 4AM. I groaned in both out of frustration and anger.

"Why are you here Mark!" I yelled from my position.

"Please Chelsea! Open the door! It's urgent!"

Now that I am awake, wide awake now… His voice did sound urgent before, as it does now.

I quickly walked over to my door and opened it. Mark was at the door, as expected, but I didn't expect him to still be dressed in his pajamas along with his hair being disheveled (as I'm sure mine is). He was breathing hard and he looked worried.

"Ch-Chelsea…! I'm _so_ sorry for waking you up so early, but it's an emergency."

"What is it? Did something happen?"

I had this feeling, a deep, depressing feeling; that what Mark would tell me wasn't going to be good.

"It's Elliot…"

I started shaking my head, already telling him to not continue because I _knew_- I already know! And I don't want to hear it.

"No…" I said.

Mark sighed and said, "He's been hurt Chelsea… Real bad... Dr. Trent is-"

"Where?" I asked him, interrupting him.

Mark swallowed before he spoke again.

"Elliot was doing his work— on the beach…"

I sighed. What could I say? That's it's my fault? Well, I could say that, because it is… But, what can I say? _What can I say_!

"I… I'm going to the beach…" I told him.

Mark nodded and he gently patted my shoulder in comfort.

"I'm going to wake up the others and tell them what's going on," Mark said to me.

I nodded my head and I walked back inside to put on my shoes- not caring to change out of my nightclothes.

I grabbed my house keys and exit out of my house, closing and locking the door behind me.

I immediately began to run along the trail to reach West Town, and then I reached the entrance of the beach.

The beach was empty of anybody or anything- except for Will's ship, the shipping boat, and… A large crate…

I ran up to where the large crate rested, and I just knew that this item- was the cause of Elliot's accident…

I put my hands on the crate, on top of it. I sighed and I closed my eyes, trying my best to control my emotions. I didn't want to cry… I can't… I wasn't even here when the incident occurred! I can't be blamed for this…! Can I…?

I opened my eyes and wiped across my eyes with my arm- wiping away the tears that were to come anyway.

I looked at the crate and the rope that was tied around it; probably what held the large crate on the boat… But, something bothered me… Something about the crate itself…

I shook my head and tried my best to focus, to set my mind straight. But, this feeling that something was wrong kept bothering me… The problem is, I don't know why I feel this way- not exactly…

I came around the crate, walking around it carefully- taking careful steps. I saw nothing wrong with it. The crate was slightly slanted, because there was another crate under it- a much smaller one… The right size that can be carried by Elliot…

I shook my head again, focusing on that bad feeling I had… And that is when I noticed it…

I bent down slightly and grabbed the rope, the part that snapped before gravity took over the crate… At least, I _thought_ the rope snapped…

I looked at it closely and stared at it… I felt my eyes widen in surprise and fear grip my heart. But no matter how long I stared at it, the rope didn't change shape- or the evidence that I was seeing… The rope looked too smooth at the end, not broken and stringy like a snapped rope would look like…

"_This rope didn't snap… It was cut!_"

**_TO BE CONTINUED…_**

* * *

**AUTHOR'S COMMENTS/NOTES**

* * *

Finally… FI-NAL-LY! MU-HAHAHAHA! *_Cough_* Jesh, how do bad guys do that laugh? But, seriously, I've been waiting since, _FOREVER_ to work on this chapter! But, I'm not 'laughing' because Elliot got hurt; it's just the excitement of finally reaching this point in the story! Did you know that originally, well, you wouldn't know but… Originally, _THIS_ chapter was supposed to be the first- it was supposed to be written differently of course- and then I was supposed to go back in time with the other chapters… But, as you can see, that effect would have been a less of a surprise and such yada yada- that jazz… XD

Anyway, now that you readers know that the 'omen' is bogus, or at least, to this point (and to your knowledge), it's now time to pay attention- especially for those of you that like mystery stories. If you want to solve the mystery, then you should pay attention in order to see the clues/hints… Though, you should have been paying attention before this point. What does that mean? It means- how you would interpret it? It's up to you now…

Those of you that probably figured it out as well- now you know; why there is a section called 'Quick 'Q' From Review(s)'. You can use the review section to ask me questions and I will answer them- to the best of my ability of course- depending on how the question is phrased… I will not give hints, not in this section anyway. Clues will be displayed throughout the story, but I don't make them obvious. You have to read and pay attention to the characters POV's- their words and actions… And put two and two together and such. You have to use common sense, pick up things that are said- and put them together… That is all I can say, really. Let's see how good of an investigator you are. Hopefully, I will do it right… But, as far as I know, I know what I'm doing… Do you?

As for the way the title is displayed, I did that purposely of course- it's not an error. It should have been almost like a 'jump' to make you know/think that plot has turned- at this point … As for the next chapter (18), the title will be (might be- it's not set in stone), 'Trouble Ahead'. You can imagine what that means… Also, there will a poll up next time I update- the next chapter (18), a poll will appear at the same time as the chapter. What will the poll be about? Well, I'll keep that a secret, till the time comes… But, until that time comes, you're going to have to be tortured with what the poll _might_ be about… Why would I hide it? Because I'm 'evil' :) But, seriously, if I told you- it won't be a surprise. I think the poll will be obvious, but, maybe it's not…

If you noticed that this chapter seemed rushed- I can't really deny that it wasn't rushed… I was more focused with Elliot's POV then the others- truthfully… *_Cough_* Well, the chapter worked right! XD

For those of you that downloaded the EBook SAMPLE version- I updated it- _ESPECIALLY_ the front cover. It has _a brand new and awesome_ front cover! I can _ALMOST_ guarantee that you'll like the new front cover! I know I do! Anyway…

Until next time!

Oh wait! There are numbers right! Well, there's only one… And here it is:

**(1)** _red-tailed hawk:_ It's a hawk… XD Anyway, I am right about the fact that red-tailed hawks are a predator for chickens. Though, they rarely eat chickens and they are more common in _North America_ regions… These characters live in Japan (or are a little far from Japan), therefore, these hawks are not really in that region- including on the island. So, I guess Vaughn is wrong in some form XD.

**_THANK YOU ALL FOR REVIEWING (And to those that read anonymously)!_**


	19. Chapter 18, Trouble Ahead

**NOTICE/WARNING****:** This WHOLE THING (including my A/N's) is **100 PAGES** long. Read all of it at once at your own risk! You may now continue…

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**Chapter 18, Trouble Ahead**

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**SUMMER 17TH – THURSDAY**

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**Chelsea's POV**

I don't know how long I stared at the rope, it felt like forever.

"_This… This doesn't make any sense at all!_" I thought, being both terrified and confused at the same time.

Who would want to cut the rope and hurt Elliot in the process purposely! What would the person gain from doing this! Why go through the trouble with the chances of being caught!

"_But the person wasn't caught…_" my conscience whispered to me.

I couldn't reply to that, as the fact is true.

"_You should be more worried about the who- not the why or anything else… For all you know, the person- or people- could have lost their mind,_" my conscience reasoned with me, trying to make sense out of all this.

I felt my hand shake, the one that held the cut rope. I had to force myself to stop shaking- from breaking down into insanity.

"_O-Okay… Maybe this is a mistake! Maybe it's another piece of the rope! Maybe this had to be cut to get the crate off of Elliot!_" I thought, slowly warming up to the more positive idea.

"_You want to bet on that theory?_" my conscience asked me.

I let go of the rope and stood back up straight, ignoring my conscience negative question.

I looked up, where the large crate had to _fall_ from; I refuse to believe that someone cut the rope purposely…

From my position, I saw the rest of the rope dangling on the neck of the crane- most likely where the crate was tied from… I also saw that it had the same smooth like texture like the rope I held a moment ago… Once again, the rope looked more like it was cut then snapped…

I slightly frowned at the sight, still not believing that the rope was cut- it just can't be true!

I looked around, trying to find a way to come closer to the neck of the crane-like structure. _If_ the rope was so called cut, the person had to find a way up there in order to cut it. If I can't find a way up there then that means-

"_There!_" I heard my mind yell.

I looked where I thought my mind indicated, and sure enough, there was a metal ladder- already attached- leading up to the neck of the crane. The ladder was on the shipping boat itself, while the crane's neck was sticking over the side of the shipping boat…

"_Why was it positioned that way anyway?_" I thought.

I decided to not dwell on it that long, as I instead walked on the small ramp to get onto the shipping boat itself. I walked up to where I saw the metal ladder.

Once I stood in front of it, I looked at it- especially the metal bars themselves. The ladder looked rusty and whatever paint that was on it before had completely peeled off in various places. Looking at the bars closely, I couldn't see anything that proved someone climbed on this ladder… And if someone did, they did a good job covering their tracks… I didn't even see boot or shoeprints or even scuff marks from footwear on the bars themselves… Maybe my 'theory' wasn't far off after all…

I grabbed the first bar, almost letting go immediately because it felt really dirty and rusty. I used my other hand to grab another above me and I began the climb up the ladder.

Once I was close to the neck of the crane, I looked down from my position… And I noticed that I didn't leave any proof behind either… Not scuff marks from my own boots or possibly any fingerprints from my hands… I thought I would leave that at least, as the bars felt really dirty…

I lifted one hand off of the metal bar and I looked at it. And my hand was covered in the dirt from the metal bars… I thought that this would mean good news, but my conscience set me straight quick….

"_Even if someone did climb this ladder and their hands were dirty- I highly doubt the dirt would still be on their hands now… The person had plenty of time to wash their hands- if not hours to spare…_"

I sighed, silently agreeing to my conscience answer.

I refocused on the task at hand, until I was close enough to the neck of the crane- close enough that my nose could touch the cold metal… I looked to my left, where I saw the rope attached to the crane… I extended one arm while keeping my other hand tightly around the bar- to not fall down. And I realized that I couldn't reach the rope from my position, it was just a little out of my reach.

"_See! It's not possible that someone cut the rope! I can't even reach it!_"

"_Not if the person used a sharp tool to cut it from your position… If you held something, it'll be long enough to cut it from your position…_"

Once again, my conscience was most likely right…

"_Or… The person could have got on the crane itself and stepped sideways to reach the rope… The rope had to be still in order to cut it… Right?_" I thought.

So, I took another step upward, now being on the crane itself; the 'side' of it anyway. I began to take careful steps sideways along the crane. And somewhere along the way, I heard a somewhat loud creaking sound.

I stopped my side walking and looked down from my position, at my feet. I thought I heard the sound come from there, but I'm not sure. So, I tested the theory by lifting one of my feet and pressing it back down on the spot. Sure enough, the loud creaking sound came again.

"_This crane must be old as well… I'm surprised the whole thing didn't fall_," I thought.

I then had a horrible image of the whole crane neck falling down while I was still on it.

I shook the horrible image away and kept on moving, ignoring the creaking sounds the crane was making.

I finally reached the dangling rope. I reached out to it easily, somewhat standing on my tip-toes since it was a little higher then my height. I was able to grab it and I looked at the bottom of the rope with a careful eye… To my disappointment, the rope had the same smooth-like end like the one tied around the crate…

I sighed and closed my eyes for a moment, trying my best to not panic (panicking at this height would be stupid) and to not get dizzy.

"_Now that I know that this is— real… What should I do?_" I thought to myself.

I opened my eyes and sighed through my nose, an answer coming to me.

"_I should go to the police back in the city…_" I thought, the most obvious and easiest solution to my problem.

"_Are you sure the police would believe you?_" my conscience asked me.

I frowned at what my conscience was insinuating.

"_Why would I lie?_"

"_And why would they believe you? Even if they did… What do you think they would do?_"

"_Investigate of course!_"

"_And all the person, or people, has to do is stop their actions while they are investigating until they stop… You know how cops work; you lived in the city for enough years… The police don't really do anything until there is something serious going on or-_"

"_Evidence… But that means… I have to investigate myself! And that's going to be dangerous!_"

"_Not only that... You have to keep this quiet… You tell anybody, and it'll just spread that you know… And guess where that might lead you?_"

I swallowed a sudden lump, and my mouth felt stale- just plain disgusting at the answer that hit me.

"To my own death…" I said softly to myself.

I didn't like the options I was left with… If I am going to do this investigation myself, that means everyone that I know is a suspect… That means I can't trust anybody… And… What else does this means?

"_It also means that you have to pretend that nothing is wrong…. You give yourself away, by behavior or otherwise- and you'll be found out…. You have to pretend that absolutely nothing is going on…_"

"_Bu-But how can I-_"

"_Be yourself… Still be concerned for the things that are going on around you... And believe that the omen is responsible for this… Pretend it's an accident, and it'll all work out…_"

I felt my heart beating faster, it felt like it was hitting against my ribcage- about to burst out of it. I felt much more terrified and I felt my face pale.

How can I pretend that this is an accident when I know that it's not!

"_Because your life depends on it! Think about that! Calm down before you faint from a heart attack…! And you don't want to do that while up at this height…_"

I wanted to look down towards the sandy shore, but I decided that it wasn't such a good idea… I might get woozy and really fall down… I don't need a sprained ankle or anything worse than that right now…

I closed my eyes again and forced myself to take slow and deep breaths in and out, while counting down to 10.

"_In and out… In and out… 8…_"

I repeated the words in my head while still counting down. It didn't take me long to reach zero. Once I did, I opened my eyes again and tried to my best to concentrate- to think what I could do that start this investigation…. Now that I knew that I didn't have many options…

"_Not like I really had any to begin with…_"

I looked at the rope I still held in my outreached hand— and a light bulb went on in my head.

"_Wait… If there was something heavy to make the rope dangle and pull downward, wouldn't the person have to hold the rope in order make it not move… And to cut it…?_" I thought.

The thought made sense to me, but what was the point…

My mind drift off a bit, when the answer finally hit me.

"_That would mean the person left fingerprints behind!_" I thought a little excited.

If I can lift some fingerprints off of a piece of this rope, I'll be able to 'close' this case! I can just mail off the evidence to the police and my problem is solved! They can do the comparison work!

I sighed in slight frustration as another realization came to me.

"_I forgot my rucksack at the house…_"

I had to remind myself to be cautious about this… Meaning that nobody can see me cutting this rope- or somebody will ask questions… And that would be the _last_ thing I want anybody to do…

"_Don't want the wrong person to know that I know something is up…_" I thought as I began to walk back sideways, to get off the crane itself in order to reach the ladder.

It didn't take me long to reach the ladder. I quicken my steps, climbing down the ladder, wanting to hurry to gather the evidence before anybody else came to beach.

But my luck ran out, once I was off the boat itself and near the large crate again- I saw many figures heading towards the beach…

"_Too late…_" my conscience stated.

I then heard a low creaking sound, lower than the one I heard while I was walking along the crane.

I looked in the direction where I thought I heard the sound. Not to my surprise, I saw Denny at the door of his shack, in his usual attire. He raised his arms above his head and his mouth opened- to let out a much needed yawn.

I looked away from his shack and turned my head to the side, where Will's yacht was. I saw him just descending the stairs from his yacht. He was wearing white as usual, but it wasn't the usual attire he would wear… From where I stood, it looked like he was wearing a gi. He saw me while he was descending, and he held shock on his face, maybe wondering what I was doing at the beach so early…

I turned away from his face expression and focused at the beach entrance- and pretty much every person I know was coming towards me… Where I stood…

"_Remember… Keep this information to yourself… Pretend you're undercover…_"

Under different circumstance, I would have lightly laughed at the word 'undercover' and got myself a USI (Undercover Secret Investigator) belt… Unfortunately, now isn't the time…

Ahead of the crowd, I saw Mark jogging towards me, while the rest followed behind him at their own walking paces.

Mark was the first one to reach me, obviously…

He put a hand over his chest, where his heart is, trying to regain his breath. It took him a moment or so before he spoke to me.

"Chelsea… Are you okay? You're not that upset are you?"

"I'll be fine Mark…" I said to him, trying my best to not sound shaky- giving myself away.

"_Not that it'll matter if you aren't fine… He'll just take it as some sort of stress_," my conscience replied to my words.

I gave him a look of concern and asked, "I'm more concerned about Elliot... How is he?"

Mark sighed in distress.

"He's hurt really badly is all I know… I don't even know the exact damages he has…"

I felt my face turn into slight confusion.

"Why don't you know the full details?" I asked him.

"Well you see, that's what I want to explain. It seems that-"

Just then, the crowd behind him moved out of the way- letting Felicia, Natalie, and Taro through. Felicia was walking towards me while Natalie rolled behind her in her wheelchair and Taro was beside Felicia- mumbling something to her… It looked like he was trying to calm her down…

Felicia then stopped in front of me. I was about to give her my condolences concerning Elliot. But, next thing I knew- I felt my head snap hard sideways, the world a blur briefly- a sting burning against my cheek. I heard the sound last- of skin hitting skin… It took a moment for me to hear the sounds of shock and disbelief coming from the crowd.

I slowly turned my head back forward, to look at Felicia, and I slowly bought one hand to the left side of my cheek. My somewhat cool hands relieved the pain— of the slap I just received…

I didn't look anywhere else, not at the shocked faces of my friends or even my boss… I just focused my eyes on the usually motherly and calm woman in front of me. I blinked my eyes at her, a little in disbelief at her actions…

Once I focused on her face, I saw how angry she was— it was strong… Like lava from a volcano. I could feel all of her anger seeping from her, and something else… I briefly thanked the Goddess for giving Felicia the eyes that are in an eternally closed state… Because I was afraid that if she _could_ open them, then this would be the first time that looks could kill… At this moment, she wasn't being motherly and sweet now…

I saw her hand form into a small fist, with her pointing finger sticking out. Her hand appeared in front of my face, her pointing finger almost touching me.

"You…! This is your entire fault!" she yelled at me, her anger being released.

I decided to stay quiet. I don't think she'll give me chance to say anything- even if I really wanted to…

"It's your fault that my son is hurt!" she continued.

She pulled her hand away from the front of my face and rested it on the handle of Natalie's wheelchair.

"First, my daughter gets hurt after saving you…" she said, almost low enough to be mistaken as a whisper.

The frown on her face deepened; making her competitive to Vaughn's frowns…

"I was happy that she did a good deed for another… I thought that for once, she wasn't being herself- she showed that she cared! Something I rarely see at all in her! So, I tried to be happy about that fact…"

She slightly looked away from me. Even though I couldn't see her eyes, I felt like she was staring at me- deep down. I felt like shaking in my boots…

"But… I couldn't shake the feeling that something else would go wrong… So, I did the next best thing… Making sure my children do as little as possible- anything that is not dangerous… I wanted to make Elliot stay at home and not work- at least until Natalie got better but… I know that everyone here on this island depends on my company to ship everything- it's the only way for everyone to have a steady income… So, I let him continue to work…"

She then looked towards me, and I felt like jumping back from her. I didn't think I was far enough from her— distance wise… I saw her frown somehow deepen, if that is even possible… Possible or not though, I still felt the anger from her- it felt stronger than before. It was back with a vengeance…

"And I should have followed my instincts!"

She then pointed at me again.

"Ever since you came to this island- everything has changed! And not for the better either!"

She wavered her hand behind her, at the crowd- the residents of the island…

"Everything was fine for _two years_! Two _long_, _safe, happy, enjoyable_, and _peaceful _years! But then…"

She bought her hand to the side of her and then she lift one of her feet and stomped it to the ground, as if she was like an child that didn't get what they wanted- resulting in a pout.

"I'm putting my foot down! I will no longer provide the needs of the company to anyone on this island!"

Mark was the first to protest, before lower voices protested along with him in the background.

"W-Wait Felicia! That is completely unreasonable and just because Chelsea is somewhat new to the island that doesn't mean-"

Felicia rounded on Mark real quick, her anger towards him- for now.

"Don't you dare defend her!" she yelled at him, making her anger clear to anyone that didn't notice her anger physically.

She stood up straight while still looking at Mark and said, "Unless of course, you are planning to fire Chelsea… Then that's a different matter… Are you?"

Mark looked hesitant for a moment. I saw him looking side to side, his emerald eyes just darting all over the place— before they finally landed on me, looking at my own eyes.

I don't know what face expression I held when he looked at me. It could have been fear or desperation for all I know. But whatever he saw, it gave him the answer he wanted... Or was looking for…

He looked back at Felicia and shook his head at her.

"No… I'm not going to fire her… I-I can't do it…" he said to Felicia.

I couldn't see Felicia's face expression from my position, since her head was turned away from me. But, I had a good idea…

I had a feeling that her face expression showed not only her wrath, but possibly disappointment… Mark _does_ know Felicia more than me. I only have been here for a little over a season, while she (along with any other resident) has been her for 2 years… Why would he take my side, is the question she is probably asking herself… Though, it's a question that is going through my own mind as well…

Why would he take my side over hers? Even if I managed to overproduce all the animal products- who's going to put them into crates and ship them off to the city nearby? Not only that, my income isn't the only one on the line here… _Everyone's_ income is on the line… Mark is stepping on dangerous territory here… Everyone can like me as much as they want- but once a person's steady income comes to a halt, a necessity in order to survive, there's going to be an all out war…

"_And I'm the cause of it…_" I thought, as it dawned on me.

At that moment, I wanted to shout what I knew, or at least what I suspected in order to stop this senseless fighting, yelling, and bickering. Just so that everything can be the way they use to be- or should be…!

But, I heard the silent whispers of my conscience, reminding me to not do anything stupid or rash… The _real_ culprit will get away with it… But, it was so _hard_ to listen to it… So hard…

"_Be strong… You can do it Chelsea_," my conscience encouraged me.

I sunk my teeth into my bottom lip, clamping my mouth shut as tight as possible. To prevent any sudden outbursts I might have.

"Well… If that's the case, then I believe our business partnership has been severed from this point on- along with everyone else," Felicia said to Mark, the message referring to the other residents as well.

She turned her head to look at me once more.

"As long as this _devil's spawn_ is working on this island- that is how it's going to be," she said coolly, surprisingly.

"_Devil's spawn…?_" I thought in confusion.

I didn't like the sound of that…

Apparently, I must have showed the confusion on my face, making her explain her words… And I wish she kept it to herself…

"That's right… That is what you are… I should have seen it in the beginning… With the red bandanna you always wear on your head, the red boots you're wearing, the red rucksack, and the red wristwatch that you wear… You're even wearing red pajama's right now…**_(1)_**"

I _really_ didn't like where this was going…

"Red seems to be your favorite color… The devil's colors… You truly are the devil's little spawn— aren't you?"

Her question was a rhetorical one, but I felt like answering it with a sarcastic reply. Though, I held back… I wasn't sure if answering the question would make the situation better or worse… Possibly worse, based on my luck so far…

She then turned away from me, walking away, and yelled behind her, "Let's go Natalie and Taro! We're no longer required to be here."

I looked at Natalie for the first time since she came to the beach. Her eyes were closed, while her eyebrows were arched downward. She seemed to sigh before she opened her eyes to look at me.

She didn't say anything, but I felt like she was giving me a silent apology.

Our eye contact didn't last long, as she broke it off by turning her wheelchair away and rolling it.

I looked towards her grandfather, and he had a worried expression on his face. He just sighed and turned away from me, not saying a word to me.

I watched him walk away briefly, before somebody's body got in my way.

Mark looked at me and he lightly bowed his head in apology before he turned and ran off to catch up with Taro and Natalie…

Not that long after, I was fairly surrounded by people- my friends…

"_The ones you know to be as friends_," my conscience whispered to me.

I had to use all of my power to not turn and jump into the ocean. My conscience was right- I don't know who's a friend… And who isn't…

"Are you okay Chelsea?" Julia asked me in a low and concerned voice.

I just slowly nodded my head.

She sighed and said, "I'm sorry that I have to leave you so soon Chelsea… But I want to go check on Elliot and see what happened to him exactly… Do you mind if-"

"Go," I told her, not even hesitating with my reply.

She nodded her head once, in thanks, before she turned away from me and ran off…

Next Will and Vaughn appeared within my vision, right in front of me- both of them standing side by side (not too close though).

"Are you sure you're okay…?" Vaughn asked.

I nodded my head again, looking up to see his face. His face didn't have a frown on it, as it usually would. The expression looked void of any feelings- though his eyes somewhat said differently… They showed, maybe, a hint of worry… It made me smile a little to myself, though I didn't really smile at him.

I saw his eyes shift a little, along with his head, to the side.

"Are you sure about that…? She did— slap you pretty hard…" Vaughn said, his eyes focusing on me once again, concentrating on my face.

His reminder of the slap made my cheek sting again- more so then before…

I brought a hand to that cheek and closed my eyes to sigh in exasperation.

It wasn't exactly the slap that bothered me, that made me feel depressing. It was Felicia's words that got to me. The way she said them, the influence behind them, and the meaning… That's what bothered me… It felt more painful than the stinging on my cheek. It was a feeling hurt- not a physical hurt…

"Would you like me to get something for that?" Will asked, waking me up from my thoughts.

I shook my head, my eyes still closed.

"You know Chelsea… If you need some time to yourself… I'll do your work for today… If you want me to that is…" Vaughn said.

I opened my eyes and looked at him, trying my best to not make my shock so obvious- though I probably failed…

I smiled gently at him, happy about his offer.

"If you really want to Vaughn, that's fine by me…"

He nodded his head casually.

Next thing I knew, I heard a sniffle- as if someone was _crying_.

I looked towards the source, and I just saw Denny wipe under one of his eyes- though his eyes looked dry to me.

He let out a soft sigh and said, "A Kodak moment**_(2)_**… Where's a camera when you need it." As he shook his head a little.

"Denny! This isn't the time to be joking around!" Lanna exclaimed at him as she lightly hit his arm.

I rolled my eyes at the scene, but I couldn't stop the low giggle that escaped from my mouth. I think I heard Vaughn scoff at Denny's words.

That's Denny for you- trying his best to lighten the mood… Sometimes I have to wonder if he can be serious for even a minute… Though, a serious Denny doesn't seem to fit him. Plus, I'm a little glad he's the way he is- he helps bring the cheer with him when nobody else can…

"_He's truly a good friend…_"

The small smile I held faded.

I silently hoped to myself that Denny isn't the culprit… I would be stunned, but mostly disappointed and horrified …

"_Now's not the time to think about this…_" I scolded myself.

I looked back at Vaughn.

"I forgot the milker back at home in my rucksack… If you want to wait a few minutes for me-"

"It's alright. I'll just borrow the one from the shop," he said before I finished.

"That's a good idea Vaughn… But, I'm sure it doesn't have wonderfuls attached to it…"

He said nothing to that, remaining silent for a moment before he responded.

"Okay… I'll wait for you back at the ranch entrance… Or would you like me to follow you?"

Before I could reply, Will interrupted.

"I don't mean to interrupt the conversation… But, I wanted to say that since you're taking a break… I thought that maybe you would like to take a break from the horse riding practice as well…"

I nodded my head in reply.

"We can make up for it tomorrow instead…"

I saw Will eyes look away from me, as if he was concentrating.

"I'll change a few things around on my schedule…" he mumbled under his breath before he looked at me again.

"The horse competition is next week… Next Wednesday to be exact… So, if might be best to practice for the rest of this week and the last few days of next week before the competition," Will said to me.

I nodded my head in agreement.

"We can do that…" I said to him.

He nodded his own head in satisfaction.

"Well… I'll see you tomorrow then…" he said.

He lightly waved goodbye to me before he turned to walk away, probably to go back to his yacht.

I faced Vaughn again to answer his question before I was delayed.

"You can wait at the front of your aunt's shop, and I'll meet you there with the stuff…"

Vaughn nodded his head.

Just then, I heard my name being yelled.

I looked where it was coming from- it was Mark… Running towards me.

It didn't take him long to reach me, though he had to stop to catch his breath. Once he did, he looked at me. His face expression showing more than being tired from the run; it was full of distraught.

"Chelsea… I tried to convince Felicia to change her mind… But, she's not going to… About the shipping problem…"

He stopped for a moment to swallow, followed by a sigh, before he continued.

"By her doing that… We have a bigger problem now…"

Looks like my 'resting' will have to wait until this problem is solved…

* * *

**Felicia's POV**

I stood by the bed, while looking down at the damaged body of my son… He was sound asleep now, being unaware of the world around him for the moment- including to the injuries on him…

Dr. Trent told me that the type of injury he has is very serious and would most likely require surgery... He said that he had a complete fracture in the forearm region- while mentioning _two_ types of bones**_(3)_**… To make matters worse- he has a neck injury as well… I don't remember the exact details, but Dr. Trent said that he'll have to wear a collar around his neck to pervert movement to it**_(4)_**… Not like the one Natalie has attached to her back and neck, keeping her whole back motionless…

Dr. Trent also mentioned that Elliot would be in _excruciating_ pain… That he was lucky to be asleep (or unconscious) at this time— as his body is trying to reject the pain his body is feeling…

I brought a hand to cover my mouth as I saw my vision blur a bit.

"_Why Harvest Goddess…? Why are you letting this happen to my family! What have we done to deserve this!_" I thought to myself.

I quickly looked over my poor son's body, other worries beginning to slip into my mind.

"_What if he received brain damage! What if the surgery fails? What if he doesn't heal from this- physically or emotionally!_"

I felt the tears leave my eyes along with a small gasp leave my mouth. However, my cries of suffering didn't last long. I quickly replaced it with rage.

"_It's all her fault! If she hadn't come to the island…! Ever since she came here…!_"

I brought an hand to Elliot's forehead and wiped some of his hair to the side, to see his face better. I couldn't help but lightly smile at his peaceful face expression, my rage being quenched briefly.

"Stay asleep Elliot… At least until we get to the city for your surgery…" I softly muttered.

As if he heard me, I saw one of his closed eyes tighten slightly- twitching almost. It was short-lived, as his face turned back into a peaceful looking sleep. I sighed in relief, glad that he didn't decide to wake up at that moment.

My son couldn't get his surgery done here… He needs a more sanitized environment- the hospital is what Dr. Trent meant…

Just then, I heard a knocking at the door.

I turned away from my son and left the shared 'bedroom', walking over to the door within a few steps.

I opened the door enough to just stick out my head. And there stood Julia.

She was no longer wearing her pajama's, as she did a little earlier. She was wearing her usual short-shorts and her white crop top with a small light-blue short-sleeved 'jacket' tied in the front in a knot to show her stomach, along with her long white cowboy-like boots with a small heal in the back of each boot.

She politely smiled at me and said, "Morning Felicia… I hope I'm not disturbing anything right now… But I wanted to see Elliot if you don't mind…"

I usually don't mind Julia seeing my son, as I have nothing against her. But, I made a vow to myself that I would protect my children from any further harm. I couldn't do anything to prevent the damage done to my son or my daughter, but I _can_ prevent possible future mishaps.

"I do mind actually," I told her.

I saw her slightly frown in confusion. I continued before she could ask any questions.

"I'm basically saying that I don't want you seeing my son anymore… You or anyone else for that matter about anything. My son has suffered enough. If you have something to say, you can tell me and I'll decide if I should relay to message to him or not. Otherwise, leave."

I saw shock cross over her mostly 'perfect' facial features before it turned into a deeper frown then before.

"N-Now hold on Felicia! Just-"

"That's _Ms._ Felicia Urashima**_(5)_** to you!"

She stopped for a moment, sighed through her nose, as if she was trying to control her anger. She has the nerve to be angry. _I_ should be the one that is angry, not her.

"_Ms._ Felicia… Now I have every right to see my- my- my _special_ friend. I think that-"

"No… You see, that's where you're wrong. You _don't_ have a right to see him- at all. He is _my son_ and I am _his mother_. Furthermore, since you are friends with that devil rancher-"

"She isn't the devil…" she mumbled under her breathe.

"_Don't_ interrupt an adult when they are talking!" I scolded her, giving me the urge to slap her.

She just looked down to the ground, I then continued.

"As I was saying… Furthermore, since you are friends with that _devil rancher_, _close friends_ I might add, I definitely don't want you anywhere near my son. All of the bad luck that she has could have rubbed on you."

She put her hands on her hip and said, "So what are you going to do? Stay inside the house forever!"

"If I must, I will do it," I told her simply.

She then just stared at me, not sure how to react to my words.

I nodded my head once and said, "Now if you don't mind, I have to get back to my son."

I closed the door in a not so gently matter and leaned against the door. I was trying to listen to her footsteps, to see if she walked away. But, I didn't hear her footsteps against the stones on the path. She had to still be standing in front of my door.

I pushed myself off the door and walked back to the shared bedroom.

While walking, I could feel a set of two eyes from two different people bury into my back. One set of eyes was full of astonishment and silence, not sure how to react to my 'new' personality. I won't be getting a dispute from that set of eyes.

The other set held disappointment and possibly irritation, and I could feel an argument coming from those set of eyes.

"Felicia… Come here for a moment," my father said from the table.

I briefly looked into the bedroom, to see if Elliot was still in his peaceful slumber. He was…

I reluctantly turned away from the opened doorway and walked into the kitchen where the single table resided. My father was sitting on one of the stools while Natalie was in her wheelchair (of course) next to him.

"Sit please," he said, while gesturing to the other empty stool at the table.

I took a seat and I rested my hands on the table.

"Yes?" I said to him.

He sighed and his eyebrows seemed to have wiggled a bit.

"Felicia… Don't you think that you're being a little— too stern? The youngin' Julia does have a point. We can't be here in this house forever, we have to leave _sometime_. It wasn't like she was at fault for Elliot's injury."

"Dad… As much as I respect your words and wisdom, I'm afraid I will not listen to them this time," I said, feeling strong about my words.

I saw my daughter look at me in surprise. I usually am the one calming him down when he overreacts about something and I mostly listen to my father when he tells me something. But, not this time…

"I let my children go and explore the world. I already know the world is a dangerous place… And I pray to myself that they'll be in good health. For many years, life was— mostly fine for us. Even 2 years ago when we moved onto this island, life has been treating us well…"

I frowned as I felt the words, my vow, becoming strong with all of my emotions behind it.

"But now, I think their 'exploring' is over! I think they have seen enough of the outside world…! Until this crisis has passed, I will protect them, for as long as I live! And if that means that they will have to stay in this house forever, or for as long as I am alive…"

I stood up from my seat and I took slow steps toward the open doorway.

"Well then… So be it!" I finished as I stopped at the open doorway.

I turned my head to face the both of them from my position.

"My children are important to me…! And I can't lose them due to my ignorance or me being naïve!"

I shook my head, emphasizing my point further.

"No… I can't take that chance… And if you don't believe me- either of you…"

I turned my whole body to face them completely.

"Then I'll show you that Chelsea is bringing this bad luck upon us all..! Just you watch… Some other unfortunate event will happen in future. And when it does…"

At that point, I forced my usually internally closed eyes open- so that they can _see_ how I felt. I wanted them to feel my pain, my suffering- to get them to understand! I wanted them to look me in the eyes and tell me what I could or couldn't do to protect my children! I dared them! I wanted them to see that my determination was _real_ and _alive_!

"It'll be proof enough for you to see the truth! As I see it through these closed eyes!"

* * *

**Vaughn's POV**

"What do you think we should do about this, Chelsea?" Mark asked her.

For awhile, they have been talking, back and forth, about what to do with the bigger problem Felicia caused. Since she is no longer doing business with Mark, or anyone else for that matter on the island, then who is going to ship off the items from here? How are they going to make money?

Technically, the situation that they're in has nothing to do with me. I don't get paid by anybody here, I get paid from the city. This is everybody else's problem- not mine.

Although, I find this somewhat ironic… I had to leave the island about 2 years ago because of Mark's stupid stunt, with him only buying a cow and a chicken- resulting in me making less money… And now, it seems that the tables have turned… Now due to a stunt that Felicia's pulled, he's getting the punishment I received.

"_You don't like how it feels when it's done to you- do you?_" I thought to myself, directed at Mark.

As much as I like the view of Mark's distress, he wasn't really the one feeling the most pain…

I looked at Chelsea's hand, seeing that she had the urge to reach up towards her cheek that Felicia slapped earlier. But then she forced her hand to stay beside her, focusing at the task at hand…

Chelsea sighed in frustration, weariness, and depression.

I couldn't control my hands from turning into tight fists. I can't help but feel my blood boil with fury.

I didn't see the point of Felicia slapping her, it wasn't her fault that her son was being a klutz- or wasn't watching where he was going… His work is heavy lifting and an accident was bound to happen sooner or later.

I made my eyes drift to the crate by the shipping boat, now being handled by two guys from the regular boat that goes to the city daily.

I already figured out that that crate had something to do with his injury. It's so damn obvious… That the crate fell off the ship…

"_The moron…_" I thought.

"_It could be that he is a moron… Or the omen is at fault here…_" my conscience whispered to me.

I frowned at the thought, and I immediately disagreed with it. I still think the omen is all bull. There is no such thing as 'omens', just like there is no such thing as 'miracles'- or rather a Harvest Goddess to make miracles happen… If there was a Harvest Goddess that makes miracles happens, then she should be able to prevent these accidents from happening. Not to mention, my life wouldn't have been mostly hell if she really did exist.

"_Talk about being merciful…_" I thought bitterly.

I decided to focus back on Chelsea's and Mark's conversation- waiting for a response from Chelsea still (as everyone else was as well).

"Maybe we can get someone else to do it…" Chelsea mused.

"Okay… But who?" Mark asked.

Good question. Who has the time to pack crates all day? Or at least for most of the day… Not just that…

"Even if you got someone to do it… Where will all of the crates come from?" I asked, stating my thoughts out loud to them.

They both looked at me, and I saw others look at me as well- the crowd silently agreeing with me.

"I… We don't know Vaughn… We need to figure out who first before we can reach that stage," Mark replied to me.

"And what's the point of finding the 'who' when you don't have the 'what'?" I asked as my own response.

Mark slightly frowned at me, maybe getting angry with me. But, before more words could be exchanged between us, Chelsea interrupted us.

"You make a valid point Vaughn… But so has Mark… We need an volunteer first before we can make that decision…" she said to me.

She turned around to face the rest of the residents of the island. I had an idea what she was about to do- or ask rather.

"Would anyone like to volunteer?" she asked the crowd.

The crowd reacted as one.

Before, each individual was thinking their own thoughts about this dreadful situation, trying to grasp what they should do for themselves.

But now, as one, all of them looked to the side- with the same look. The look of 'I don't want to get involved'.

I felt my teeth tighten behind my mouth. The sight disgusted me…!

The islanders say that they are there for one another, that they're a family, and all of that other _bullshit_, but as soon as someone asks for help- they look the other way.

"_Hmph! No different than the city_," I thought to myself, finding some truth behind the statement.

Denny was the first to speak up- either for himself or for them all.

"I would like to help Chelsea… But, as you know, I already have an occupation… I just can't pile myself with so much work to do with little time to myself," he admitted.

Well, I give him 'points' for being truthful and brave enough to state his opinion.

"_What about you?_" my conscience asked me.

I internally sighed and closed my eyes, somewhat regretting that I had the nerve to call out the others about _their_ silence.

"_If I had the time… I would… But, I can't do it… My schedule is too— hectic… There are weeks that my schedule would be full and others where there is very little to do… I can't offer to help and then suddenly not be around to help_," I thought, responding to my conscience.

As if the Harvest Goddess _wanted_ me to feel guilty, or to punish me, Chelsea turned her head and looked at me- as if she was _expecting_ me to say something…

"_Damn it… This isn't right…_"

But, I was saved from putting myself into a situation that I can't get out of- Gannon decided to speak up…

"Well… Even though I am busy mos' of the time, I think I can do it… I can see ya need a hand. So, I will help ya out," he said, albeit reluctantly.

Chelsea looked at him and she lightly smiled at him in gratitude.

"Thank you Gannon. You have no idea how much I appreciate this…"

Mark nodded his head in agreement.

"I thank you as well Gannon.. I owe you one…" he said to him.

Well, the problem of who is delivering the crates to the shipping boat has been solved. But now, what about the crates themselves?

Gannon apparently wasn't done offering.

"I am a carpenter. I know someone tha' can probably deliver crates for me to use… He owes me one anyway… Though, there might be a fee for the crates…"

"A fee…?" Mark said.

He scratched the top of his head, trying to fix this obvious problem.

"Well… I can do that I believe Gannon… Just let me see the paperwork- if there would be any…"

Gannon nodded his head and said, "I'll see if he can send them over today or tomorro'."

Mark nodded his head and lightly smiled at Gannon in gratefulness.

"I again want to thank you Gannon for helping us– _all_ of us– out of this serious situation. If you weren't here, well, there would probably be no solution to this…"

Gannon nodded his head once and then he turned to leave the beach- going to set up the new arraignments most likely.

I saw both Chelsea and Mark sigh in relief for the once good news (as of today anyway). The crowd looked revealed as well for the good turn of events.

Chelsea then faced me and said, "Now that is over... Let me go get that milker for you... Unless, you are backing out on your offer..."

"I don't back out on anything I say that I would do," I told her simply.

"Okay then... Let's go," she said as she turned away from me and began to walk away.

I followed behind her, until we reached West Town, stopping in front of my aunt's shop. My aunt was already inside up and about, waiting for Julia or me to return about the news concerning the issue of Elliot.

"I'll be back with the stuff, Vaughn..." she said to me.

I nodded my head, and then I _really_ looked at her- at what she was wearing... I couldn't help but slightly grin at the sight.

"Nice PJs Chelsea," I said to her, just doing a little teasing (no harm in it).

She looked down at herself, and then she smiled a little.

"I can't help it. I even think about animals in my sleep."

She looked back at me, her face looking like it turned a little red.

"Thank you though... I think..." she said, sounding a little unsure.

I saw her own eyes look me up and down before a small frown formed on her face.

"Hey… You wear your clothes to sleep or something Vaughn? I mean, how come you're not in your pajama's?"

I lightly scoffed and said, "I don't wear no damn PJs to bed. And no, I don't sleep in my clothes either."

"Oh… Then what do you sleep in?" she asked, completely baffled and serious with the question.

"I sleep in my boxers. What else would I be sleeping in?"

She gaped at me and I saw her _whole face_ turn red, even the tip of her ears.

"E-Er, I'll be back!" she quickly said before she turned away and ran off- rather swiftly I might add…

I internally shrugged my shoulders, not seeing the reason why she ran off so suddenly- in embarrassment.

"Uh…Um, e-excuse me V-Vaughn…?" I heard a meek and stuttering voice say from behind me.

I turned around, and sure enough, it turned out the voice belonged to Sabrina.

"_How long has she been there?_" I thought, a little surprised with myself that I didn't sense her presence.

I briefly thought that the kid, Charlie, was right about their whole family possibly being vampires. I quickly got rid of the thought in my head though.

She wasn't wearing night attire like the others, she was in her usual day clothing. And I noticed her face was completely red as well…

"Yeah?" I said to her.

She was looking down at the ground and pulling down her pink sweater constantly- her face still completely red.

"_Is she sick again! She must be really sensitive to the sun or something…_"

"I-I was wondering if t-today was g-g-good…"

I raised one of my eyebrows, having no idea what she was talking about.

"What are you talking about?"

I saw her shuffle her feet and her mouth open and close, but no words coming out of it- looking like a fish (a small fish) gasping for air.

I sighed, a little annoyed and said, "As much as I would like to stand here all day, I do have work to do soon… So, if you don't mind…"

"I-I mean if you'll come by f-for t-tea t-today… I-It is Thursday…"

"_What?_"

I was _still_ confused. And then, I remembered the 'reply' I gave her before- weeks ago I believe.

I looked at her and she was still looking down at the ground, shuffling her feet around and still pulling at her sweater.

"I don't think today is a good day," I told her, being truthful with my response.

She still didn't look at me, but her face wasn't red at least. And she looked kind of— unhappy, not nervous like before.

"Weren't you there about the event concerning Elliot and the other– stuff?" I asked her.

She nodded her head in reply.

"How come you didn't volunteer to take care of the shipping business?" I asked her, being completely serious with my question.

"A-Actually I was about to, after I saw that nobody else would… But, Mr. Gannon agreed to volunteer first before I could …"

"… Okay… Anyway, I'll be very busy today, I don't have time to have— _tea_ at your place. I agreed to help Chelsea with her work and then I got my own work to do," I finished.

She slowly nodded her head in understanding and said, "I-I understand… It's not that inconvenient anyway. It's technically my father's birthday today, so I might be busy for most of day as well…"

I just nodded my head once and said, "I'll be seeing you around."

She didn't say anything back in response, she just walked passed me slowly, and then I heard her footsteps move quicker behind me.

I was about to turn around to face the path again, waiting for Chelsea's return, but then I noticed my cousin… She was standing in front of Taro's house, just staring at the door.

I frowned slightly in bewilderment, not sure why she was just standing there. But, I shrugged it off as her just spacing out- having weird fantasizes in the middle of the day.

"What's the matter Julia? You forgot how to knock?" I asked, being my usual self of making fun of her 'blonde moments'.

And I wish I didn't say anything…

She turned her head to look at me and I just looked back at her expression.

Her eyes were a little red and looked glazed over– as if she was crying…

"H-Hey… What's wrong with you?" I asked, feeling a little worried, and not to mention a little out of my depth.

She looked down to the ground, her face covered by her long bangs.

She walked on the path, taking slow steps, I just followed her movements with my eyes.

She stopped in front of the door to the shop, while still looking down, before she responded, "_Ms._ Felicia Urashima said that I can't see Elliot anymore…"

"_What! What kind of stunt is that damn woman pulling! Is she crazy! And— Ms.? When has she ever called her that!_" I thought angrily.

"She… She said that I can't see him because I am friends with Chelsea… The— _devil rancher_ as she called her…"

I think I heard a sob escape her mouth, but she tried to hold back. She continued not too long after.

"I don't think it's fair but– but…"

I saw her shoulders begin to tremble and her gasps became a little louder.

"Will you be okay?" I asked her, trying my best to sound calm.

And that's when she looked at me, and there were fresh tears falling down her face. The sight made one of my eyes twitch.

"N-No… I won't be okay…" she said while shaking her head.

She then opened the door and ran inside before I could say anything, slamming the door behind her.

"_I better not go inside… Aunt Mirabelle will talk to her I'm sure… Not sure how she would react though…_"

Just then, Chelsea appeared- right on cue…

She wasn't in her pajama's anymore. She was in her normal ranching clothing.

"Sorry I took so long. I was taking care of a few things is all… Anyway-"

She took the milker out of her rucksack and handed it to me.

"-here's the milker!" she said with a small smile.

I took it and held it under one arm.

"Don't forget to open the roofs of the barn and coop… And uh… Thanks Vaughn for doing this…"

"It's not that big of a deal…"

She slightly smiled at me in gratitude and then she looked towards the animal shop door. It looked like she was thinking about something.

"Well, while you're doing that, I'll see Julia about Elliot… See what she knows…"

She was about to open the door, but I quickly blocked it with my other free arm.

"I don't think seeing her right now would be a good idea…" I told her.

She gave me a confused look, and I can see that she was a little concerned as well.

"Why not?"

"Because… She just came from Taro's _front door_ and— she looked very upset…"

"Well if she's upset, I should go inside and comfort her."

"I don't think you quite understand what I'm trying to say Chelsea… She didn't really see Elliot at all…"

"And why is that?"

I sighed quietly, a little frustrated that she's not understanding my _hints_ at all.

"Because Felicia wouldn't let her see Elliot…"

She turned to face me completely.

"What! And why not!"

This time I sighed a little louder in frustration.

"Chelsea… _Why do you think_?"

She stood there, a little stunned and unsure of the answer. It took her a moment to look at me, her eyes open wide, an answer obvious in her mind.

"No… She doesn't blame Julia because of _me_… Right…?"

"As much as you don't want to hear that- I believe she does…"

She looked back down at the ground and I heard her sigh.

"It's not fair of her to do that…" she said quietly.

"I would say talk to Felicia about this… But, that wouldn't be smart at the moment…"

I saw her wince and she lifted her hand to touch the side of the cheek Felicia slapped. I decided to not comment on that.

"Well, I'll get to work then… I have plenty to do today… You make sure you get some rest," I told her.

She just nodded her head, but didn't bother looking at me.

I decided to leave her then, to leave her with her own thoughts. I don't think I could have said anything to make the situation 'better'.

I walked down the path until I reached the entrance of the ranch. I stood at the entrance of the ranch for a moment and looked at all of the buildings that each held their own animal- wondering where to start.

Just then, I heard footsteps behind me. I at first thought it was Chelsea, being stubborn or maybe changing her mind to do her work (to keep herself distracted?). But, I saw the familiar blonde hair, a little spiky in some places, appear along my vision.

He stopped, giving me a quick glance, but he didn't say anything. He continued his walk to his house, entering it, leaving me alone again.

"_At least he didn't start trouble with me this time…_"

Not that long after, I heard _another_ pair of footsteps behind me.

I looked behind me this time. To my surprise, it turned out to be Dr. Trent.

I saw him look around briefly before he faced me.

"Did you see which way Mark went?" he asked me.

I pointed to the house in answer. He thanked me and walked towards the rancher's house.

I decided to do the work inside the stable first, as it is the closest building to me.

* * *

**Dr. Trent's POV**

From the corner of my eye, I saw Vaughn heard towards the stable- I believe…

I finally stopped in front of Mark's door and I knocked on it gently.

I didn't have to wait long for the door to open.

Mark stuck his head out and looked at me, looking completely worn out from the thus far day's events. It took him a moment to register who I was.

"Dr. Trent? Wh… Why are you here?"

"I want to ask you something…"

I saw him sigh while closing his eyes, but he nodded his head in agreement. He fully opened the door to let me inside.

I entered his comfortable house and I turned around fully to face him. He closed the door and turned around to face me as well.

"Well, I didn't expect a visitor so early… So, excuse my messy self…"

"It's okay, I'm not so concerned with that."

"_I've seen worse…_"

He waved his hands at something behind me. I turned my head to see a table.

I sat myself at the table to the closest seat and he sat across from me.

"So, Dr. Trent… How can I help you?" he asked me, sounding tired.

"I came by looking for answers," I told him simply, getting straight to the point.

He gave me a confused look, I continued my explanation.

"What I mean is that I want to know what's going on… What's _really_ going on."

I saw him look away from me, nervously. He knew what I was talking about now.

"So you are admitting that something is going on around here… Would you mind telling me what that is?"

"I-I don't think it concerns you," he replied, stuttering but not giving off a defensive tone to it.

I, on the other hand, felt offended.

"It doesn't concern me? On the contrary, Mark. Whatever is going on concerns me _greatly_. I am a doctor, and I help heal the ill. So far, ever since I came here, I see injured people everywhere I go. I want you to tell me, right now, why that is. I want to know why people keep getting hurt in such short timeframes. Not even back at my home this much damage was going on," I said to him; I could feel my forehead tighten as my minor temper got to me.

I gave him a hard look and said, " So, I'm asking Mark, what is going on?"

He was still looking somewhere to the side, avoiding any eye contact with me.

I just sat there, patiently waiting for an answer from him. I wasn't going to leave his home without a answer from him and if I have to— I will be more forceful for an answer.

I heard him give a exasperated sigh and he gently scratched the top of his head.

"Okay Dr. Trent… Since you asked…"

He stood up from his seat and walked over to his refrigerator. He opened it, looked inside, and then he turned his head to look at me from his position.

"Would you like anything while I explain?"

I briefly thought that his explanation would either be very long or not good… Whichever it was, him offering me something indicated one or the other.

I nodded my head, even though I didn't really want anything.

"A drink would be fine…"

"I have some fruit juice, vegetable juice, and milk. Which one?"

"Milk is fine…"

He took out a carton containing the milk. I watched him walk to his kitchen and take a cup off of the drying rack.

"Things began to happen on the same day you arrived Dr. Trent…"

I gave him a surprised look, but I don't think he saw it. His back was turned to me and he was busying pouring my drink.

"_Is he blaming me for these unfortunate mishaps!_"

"I'm not blaming you if that is what you're thinking… I'm just saying that is when the— omen started…"

He turned around with the drink in his hand to face me. He took long, slow strides back to the table, and he placed my drink in front of me.

I noticed he was slightly biting down on his lower lip.

"Omen?" I questioned, his words made no sense to me.

He nodded his head and continued, "You see… The day that we called you, was the day of the Goddess Festival… You know about the statue right? The cause of Natalie's injury?"

I nodded my head as I lifted the cup of milk. I didn't drink from it though, I just looked inside of it, while twirling the cup gently- looking at the small swirls forming inside of it.

"Well… That statue is causing the mishaps, as you would put it… According to Alisa-"

"Alisa!" I asked while snapping my head to look at him, surprised to hear her name coming up.

"Yeah… Alisa… She's the nun at the church…"

"I know… I'm just surprised to hear her name coming up concerning this— issue…"

"You didn't let me finish… Anyway, according to Alisa and Nathan, by the statue falling- it indicates that dreadful things will come to be…"

"So it's Natalie's fault?"

I saw him shake his head, and another sigh escaped his mouth.

"No… Natalie saved the _real_ occupant that was supposed to get hurt…"

"_The real occupant?_"

"The statue fell… Towards Chelsea, Dr. Trent…"

I wasn't expecting that as an answer. I found it to be, a little unfair. For as long as I have known Chelsea, she is a very nice and happy person. To have unfortunate things happen to her, well, it really doesn't seem fair…

"As you can see Dr. Trent, so far, the omen is coming true… I'm sure she thinks about it all of the time… Trying to find a solution to the problem… Though, truthfully, there isn't one…"

I wanted to tell him that I didn't believe in this story he was telling me, but then I asked myself… Why would he lie?

"_Believable or not, people still get hurt…_"

"I see," I said to him instead.

He scratched the back of his head and he looked at me, a look for reassurance.

"Will you stay Dr. Trent? I don't want you to leave the island… Especially if there is a possibility that… You know… Of others being injured…"

I took a small sip of my milk, and I gently put the cup back onto the table. I stood up from my seat and I nodded my head to him in answer.

He sighed in relief and gave me a small grateful smile.

"Thank you Dr. Trent. I'm glad you're staying," he said to me.

"I'm not staying because you asked me to. I'm staying because it is my duty as a doctor to take care of those that are ill or become ill…"

I turned away from him and headed towards his door to leave, but I thought I should say one more thing to him…

"When I graduated from medical school… We took an oath… That oath I took, along with many others, I swore that I would follow it… That oath wasn't made for doctors like me to follow it whenever we felt like it… That oath was created for times like these…**_(6)_**"

At that, I opened his door and left…

Looks like I will be staying for a little while longer. But, it's not for myself… It's for my patients.

* * *

**Chelsea****'s POV**

I was leaning my forehead against the front door of the Animal Shop- still in the same position since Vaughn left me alone…

I kept debating with myself if I should go in or not, despite what Vaughn told me…

I sighed and closed my eyes, weighing the consequences and such if I entered the shop… Along with if I didn't enter the shop…

After having a mental battle with myself, I decided to not enter the shop… Vaughn was probably right anyway- best to leave her alone.

I opened my eyes again and muttered, very quietly with sincere, "I'm sorry Julia… I didn't mean to cause you pain…"

I lifted my head, off of the door and turned to walk away. I didn't know where I was heading, but I didn't really care either.

I realized that my feet were taking me towards the bridge that would lead to the Forest, where the Witch Princess lived, where the church resided, the mine, and…

"_The Harvest Goddess herself…_"

I stopped in my tracks as a small idea turned into hope. I smiled at the thought I had and I went into a dead run towards the Forest. Once I was on the intersection, I took the correct path that would take me towards the Goddess Pond. I have never been so happy to see it once I stood in front of it. I stared at the water for a moment, looking at the still water and my hazy reflection upon its surface.

I looked around, trying to find something to throw into the pond that would summon her.

After looking around for a few minutes, my eyes finally landed on a pink flower. I quickly ran up to the flower and I plucked it out of the ground, being careful to not ruin it. I looked it over, satisfied that it wasn't wilted. I once again ran up to the pond and I threw the flower into the pond- hoping that she'll come out to thank me properly.

I stood there, waiting patiently for her to come out. Looking for any signs of her long dark lime hair or sparkles from the pond. But, I didn't see anything…

I sighed, but I frowned as well- frustrated that she didn't appear. I was about to turn around and leave, deciding to come back later, until I saw the familiar glow on the pond- and sparkles appear.

The Harvest Goddess soon appeared after; her whole form slightly floating above the water, and yet she looked completely dry. She lightly smiled down at me.

"Thank you for the offering Chelsea… It's been awhile since I last saw you…"

"You're welcome… And, I've been busy…"

She nodded her head in understanding.

I couldn't help but look away from her and bite my bottom lip. She, of course, saw me anxiety.

"What's wrong Chelsea?"

"I… I have a feeling that you know what's going on… Don't you?"

She gave me a depressing look and nodded her head once.

"I am the Harvest Goddess after all…"

"Well… I came by to ask you… If you can help me fix this problem… Maybe even tell me— what exactly is going on…?" I asked her in hope.

"_Telling me who is the culprit would be a start…_" I thought.

Her face expression became even more distressing.

"I can't do that I'm afraid… Neither can I really help…"

And that is when the day's event finally took a toll on me- in the form of anger.

"Why not! You're the Harvest Goddess aren't you!"

"That may be true, but… I can't change what's happening… It's a little too late… I can't change the course… It's— already set…"

"What do you mean 'it's already set'! You're speaking to me in riddles!"

"I just can't Chelsea… Even if I wanted to do, I don't know the consequences for my actions… I still can't see into the future…"

She is _not_ helping at all. Somebody just up and hurt Elliot purposely and she can't do anything about it! What kind of Goddess is she!

"Fine… If you won't help me, I'll ask the Witch Princess for help instead!" I told her, not regretting what I said.

"That wouldn't be wise Chelsea…"

"As of right now, I don't want to hear anything coming from you! You're just— not being helpful right now…"

I heard her sigh sadly, but she didn't raise her voice at me.

"I do try my best Chelsea…"

I gave my own sigh and I turned away from her, heading down the path to reach the Witch Princess's home- and I wasn't looking back.

* * *

**Witch Princess's POV**

I was looking through my books— again… As much as I want to throw a tantrum and break things with certain magic spells due to my dilemma, it wasn't helping… Plus, I drained most of my energy anyway…

I yet threw another book behind me and took another off of my shelf. As I opened the book, I noticed that the books on the shelves were slowly decreasing… Meaning I have been searching through a lot of my books… And that's a lot of books I searched through…

"Maybe I should pay a visit to certain— 'comrades'," I muttered to myself.

I wouldn't really refer to them as comrades… They're more like witches that look out for themselves- not that most aren't like that… I'm like that myself…

I looked down at the text in the book I held, skimming over some of the material quickly- only looking for words that mention 'time' and 'future'.

Just then, I heard a knock at my door. Without facing it, I yelled, "Come in!"

I could hear my door creaking open and hasty footsteps, the person quickly stepping into my home.

"What is it that you want?" I asked my unannounced guest.

"It's nice to see you too…" a familiar voice said.

I turned to face Chelsea and I slightly smiled at her.

"Ah Chelsea…! It's _good_ to see you too!" I said to her.

She gave me a wary look, wondering why I'm being a little 'nice' all of a sudden, I suppose.

She doesn't know, but I could sense that she wanted something. I don't know the exact details, obviously, but I could feel the nervousness from her- this _need_ for something. Looks like my life might get a little interesting now.

"So… What is it that you need?" I asked her, as politely as I could- don't want to scare her off.

She looked momentarily surprised, but her face expression became a little serious.

"I… I came by asking if you can help me with something… Sort of…"

"Help you with something!" I exclaimed, pretending to be surprised.

I gave her a small mischievous smile.

"I wonder what it could be… Could it have something to do with these bad events going on?" I asked, but making it seem like I asked myself the question.

She just nodded her head once in answer.

"Y-Yeah…"

"And I'm right of course," I replied, the smile still on my face.

I closed the book I held in my hands and I put it back on the bookshelf, for a moment…

I took a few steps towards her, giving her the most polite smile I could give.

"Are you saying you want to make a deal with me, Chelsea?"

She gave me a confused look.

"A deal…? What are you talking about?"

"You see Chelsea… This is how _I_ _work_. When I help somebody, I expect something in return. You want help for this dilemma going on, most likely the easy way out, that could solve all of your problems- right?"

She nodded her head once.

"But you see… I want to know what I get out of this. For you, your problems are solved and this place will be all 'happy-go-lucky' again. Back to its true nature of being called 'Sunny Island'. Now, I like happy endings as much as the next person does and I would like to help from the _good_ of my heart… But, unlike the Harvest Goddess, I can't use magic without getting tired- as I do have limits. Not only that, the potions I use take time to make- gathering the ingredients and then testing the potion to see if it works. There's just a lot of things to do… You understand right?"

I saw her eyes looking down and her forehead slightly crunched up, trying to understand what I was saying. She finally nodded her head, although a bit slowly.

"I think I understand… But, what is it that you want?" she asked me.

"Ah! And that Chelsea is where we enter a grey area… I can't really tell you that," I told her simply.

She didn't like what I said obviously, as she gave me a confused look- also looking like she was bordering on suspicion.

"I can't make a deal without knowing what's under the fine print…"

"Then I guess the people around here aren't _that_ important… Are they?" I asked, almost in a mocking voice.

I saw her thinking, looking around, debating with herself most likely.

If I'm right, her being the kind hearted person that she is, she'll make a deal with me- no matter what the consequences are…

She then gave me a look of determination.

"You owe me… You owe me a birthday present…" she said in a low voice.

I searched my memory, trying to recollect me offering such a thing… And then I remembered, that I did say I would give her a birthday present… I even accepted her response that she'll get back to me some other time when the time came.

I cursed in my mind for making a 'promise' about that.

"I may hate admitting this… But, you're right… Apparently I do owe you a 'wish'… What do you want?"

"Something to help me…"

"I need more details then _that_," I said, getting a little irritated.

I saw her bite her bottom lip and her fidgeting a little. It took a little long to give me an answer, but it seemed that my wait was worth it.

"The dilemma you mentioned… You know that's going on because of the— omen, right?"

"Yes… And?"

"Well… It seems that the recent event… With Elliot getting hurt… That was no accident…"

It took me a moment to put what she was saying together. I was caught by surprise by my conclusion, but it made me smile in the end- widely.

"Are you telling me someone did that— _purposely_?"

I chuckled at the thought, and she didn't like the sound- nor my smile, it made her take a small step backwards.

"If that's true, I would like to meet them. Give them points for bringing excitement to the island," I said, being completely serious with my statement.

I could tell that she wanted to make a comment, but she seemed to hold her tongue… Probably a sensible call; she doesn't want me to turn her into a frog accidently I'm sure.

"Now that you know… What can you give me to help me catch the person?"

"Hold on now Chelsea… You're not that special to be getting a special bottle of potion and 'poof' the situation is solved. Sorry, but you're going to have to ask for something else."

I saw her frown and her eyes give off a glint of fury. But once again, she didn't argue about anything.

"Fine…! Then can you please tell me the full details about making a deal with you- and that means the consequences as well," she said, being very specific with her request- which means I can't find any loopholes…

I didn't let my disappointment show though.

"The full details… Okay… Here's what I'll tell you…"

I wavered my hand around the room, and asked, "You see all of the teddy bears littering my floor?"

She looked around my house, as if it was the first time her seeing it. She then nodded her head.

"Tell me Chelsea… What do you think they are?"

Her face quickly turned into confusion, not understanding what I was trying to say. I liked the little 'game' I was playing with her.

"They're teddy bears…?" she said, unsure.

"You're right, they're teddy bears… But, were they always teddy bears?"

"What….?"

"In other words Chelsea, what you see here are people that lost against me- that I turned into teddy bears,"

Her eyes widened in horror and shock, along with her taking a lot of steps backwards- until her back hit the door.

"Awww… Leaving so soon? But I'm not quite done explaining…" I cooed.

I wavered at the teddy bears again.

"They're only like that because they made deals with me… But you see, they lost… And when you lose, well, you turn into an teddy bear… Meaning that you're loyal to me…"

I saw her hand slowly slide across the door, trying to find the handle, but her eyes were still on me. I gave her a smug smile.

"Was that explanatory enough? Or would you like to try it out?"

"W-what about the big one?" she asked, hesitating with her question.

I briefly looked at the big teddy bear that rested in the middle of my home, before I looked at her once again.

"Him? Well, he's a little different from the rest… He's a little evil one. Don't want his soul to be released, believe me," I told her.

"Now, you want to make a deal?"

She quickly shook her head and said, "N-Never mind… I think I'll take care of this problem myself…"

Her hand finally found the doorknob and she managed to open the door.

I figured she was about to run out of my house, scared stiff, but she stopped in her tracks- the door being open midway.

"But… How am I supposed to know that you're not the one that did it?"

"Don't you think it's a little too late to be asking that?"

She didn't move, waiting for a real response from me.

I looked at my fingernails and said, "Believe me, it's not me doing it. Besides, if I wanted to cause mayhem, it'll hardly take any effort on my part... Humans do the actions themselves, I just give them a little push, without taking any violet actions myself… But of course, you probably don't believe me… After all, I _am_ a witch."

She quickly left my house after that, the door closing behind her by itself.

I shrugged my shoulders, slightly disappointed that I wouldn't be able to add another teddy bear to the collection… And also, I wouldn't be able to meet the person that is causing trouble…

I shrugged my shoulders again, not making a big deal out of it.

"_I'll just let her figure it out, and then that'll give me the chance to meet the person,_" I thought.

I would love to investigate myself, but I have a situation that still needs fixing- a bigger priority then figuring out myself to meet this person…

I took the book I was looking at before off of the shelf and opened it.

I sighed to myself, "_Time to continue my search…_"

* * *

**Chelsea****'s POV**

I was already at the bridge that would take me back to West Town, regaining my breath from running…

"_I know one thing for sure… She wasn't 'cool' right then and there…_" I thought to myself.

I decided to make a promise to myself to stay away from the Witch Princess for awhile… Unless I had absolutely no choice but to see her…

I sighed, feeling nothing but misery. I'm still on square one— no solution to my problem… At least, an easier way out of it…

I also realized my mistake…

"_I told her… The truth at that…_" I thought.

This isn't good… If I'm planning to investigate what's really going on, I shouldn't have told her… She might open her mouth and tell the residents. It made me want to faint right onto the ground.

"_Wait… Maybe she won't tell… Remember she said she would like to meet this person? Wouldn't that mean that she is enjoying, and maybe even benefitting, from all of this? If she told someone, she'll lose her benefits…_" my conscience whispered to me.

Even though the words it spoke to me sounded disturbing, it made sense— in a sick way…

I relaxed just a little at the thought.

"_Well… All that is left is for me to start solving this mystery…_"

I immediately started to head towards the beach, not taking long to reach the entrance. Looking around the beach from the entrance, I didn't see anybody on it- at the moment. I found it to be the perfect opportunity to get that rope- to see if I can find fingerprints on it…

I headed towards the boat, that was still here thank goodness… But this time, when I reached the boat, it wasn't empty like before. There were now sailors and such running around on the deck, doing their job.

"_Maybe they won't see me…_" I thought.

"_You mean hopefully they won't see you…_"

I slowly walked up the plank, hoping it wouldn't make any noises that would give my position away. Lucky for me, it didn't…

I reached the ladder and climbed it like before, once again, being lucky that the metal bars didn't break or screech.

I was on the side of the crane, once again. But, I now realized I had a small setback…

"_The crane creaks at that spot,_" I thought, remembering my earlier trip up here.

This wasn't good… How am I supposed to get around it?

"_Well… Looks like I have no choice but to risk it…_"

I took a deep breath in, and held it, as if I was underwater… But mostly hoping it'll make me feel a little lighter…

I start my side walking along the crane, taking quick steps, until I reached the spot where I remembered the creaking sounds took place.

I could either be quick or slow… I better take slow steps…

I slowly took the steps sideways, praying that the workers below would be so occupied that they wouldn't hear me.

The first step I took, it didn't groan at all, so kept going- still taking slow steps. Of course, it made that loud creaking sound when I was real close to the rope. I stopped in my tracks, released the breath I was holding, and listened below me.

"Hey, what was that noise?" I heard somebody say below.

"We work on a boat, there are going to be lots of noises…"

"I know that but-"

"Stop yapping your traps and fix this stuff on the boat!"

The third voice had a more commanding and stern sound, most likely the captain.

"We're going to sail in a few minutes, so stop wastin' my time!" the captain continued.

The two that were talking continued their work, hopefully forgetting the noise as well.

"_I have to hurry up!_" I panicked, remembering the captain mentioning that they're about to leave.

I continued, taking only a few more steps, and I finally reached the rope.

Without moving around too much, I reached a hand into my rucksack and felt around for something sharp- my fishing spear will do…

I felt the smooth wood of the stick itself, glad I didn't cut myself on the sharp end.

I pulled it out carefully and steadied myself. I held onto the rope with one hand to keep it still and I used the spear to cut through it. Unfortunately, the rope was a little more thicker than I thought. I had to take a few slashes at it before it was cut off…

I felt like it took forever before the piece of rope came off. I quickly put both of the items into my rucksack and went back to where the ladder would be.

"_I have to hurry and get off…!_"

I could feel the blood rushing through my veins, the panic in head to rush.

I finally reached the ladder, and quickly climbed down, not caring if someone saw me or not.

I heard the horn sound off, a sign that they're leaving. I finally reached the bottom of the ladder and I turned to run towards the area where the plank should be… It wasn't there… And the boat was beginning to drift off.

"_JUMP!_" my conscience yelled.

And I did just that, without thinking. Luckily for me, it wasn't a far jump down- though I still felt a little pain shoot up in both of my legs.

I regained my balance and turned my head to look at the boat, and I could see it slowly drifting away from me…

I sighed in relief, glad that it didn't take off with me on it still…

"_That would have been a disaster…_"

Although… They took another piece of clue with them… The crate itself…

"_What should I do now…?_"

I figured that I should go home and take out my laptop, to figure out how to lift off fingerprints on this thing… I'm not a forensic investigator after all…

I walked along the sandy beach until I reached the exit that'll take me onto the West Town stony path.

As I was walking on the path, I looked at the two familiar shops… Gannon's first, to my left. I couldn't help but smile a little, glad that he offered to help with the shipping business. My smile didn't last long though, as it also reminded me of Felicia's slap…

I looked away from his shop and looked at Chen's shop instead, now beginning to walk by it. I slowed down a little, as I stopped not too far from his front door.

A tiny thought began to form in my mind, and then it slowly turned into an idea.

"_Let's see if he has it…_"

I took a step towards his shop door and entered his shop.

I saw Chen behind his counter, and Charlie was beside him, I could barely see the top of his head. Chen gave me a small and polite smile, giving me a silent greeting. Charlie didn't greet me as he would usually, with the words, 'Hi lady!' Instead, he greeted me in a quieter matter.

"Hi Chelsea," Charlie said, in a much lower voice than usual.

I gave him a wave, earning a small smile from him.

"Hello Chelsea, feeling alright?" Chen asked me as I walked up to the counter.

I nodded my head.

"Thanks for asking…"

"No problem… Can I help you?"

"Yes… I would like to know if you're selling any journals?"

"A journal? Similar to what I sold to Mark?"

I remembered the notes (really a journal) that Mark gave me when I first arrived- to study the growth cycle of each crop… I also recalled commenting on how detailed it was…

"Something like that would be nice… But, maybe… You know…"

"More on the feminine side?"

"Er… I was going to say prettier, but, that'll do too…"

He then ducked his head under his counter, I could hear things being shuffled around. He then finally presented me a bundle of journals. Each of them had the same type of material as the cover, a leather-type feeling to them- some sort of soft and smooth fabric, _and_ they all came with their own designable pen. However, all of them were in different colors and in different designs. I couldn't take my eyes off of them…

He then put each of them into one line, in order for me to take a better look at them. He opened his hands above them all, a presenting type gesture.

"Choose wisely," he said, in a joking matter.

I chuckled lightly and I looked over each one carefully…

The first one was brown, with white shadows of butterflies splashed on different areas of the cover.

The second one was white but with a black vine-like design around the cover, it looked like it was gripping the front of it shut- to prevent intruders from reading it…

There were three other ones just like the second, just in different colors and the vine-like design would be different in their own way.

The last two were different as well, one having designs in pink and the other being a light sky blue. The pink one cover was white, but the designs were of pink flowers. The other one designs looked like diamonds in a light sky blue color, the cover also being white…

I didn't know which to choose… They all looked so— beautiful, in their own way…

I decided to pick the one that had the black vine-like design, it just seemed like it was protecting the journal… Something I need once I start writing in it…

I picked it up and asked, "How much?"

"5,000 G, please," he said with a small smile.

I took my rucksack off of my back and put my hand in it, seeing if I had any gold I might have left inside. Being lucky (as of now), I had a small bag inside with gold in it. I took it out and opened the small bag to see how much I had. To my relief, there was enough for the journal.

I took out the exact amount and I gave it to him. He bowed his head in thanks and he put the money away.

"Would that be all?" he asked me.

I put the item into my rucksack, and I was about to shake my head at him in reply to his question— but another thought came to me…

"Hey Chen… Do you happen to sell cameras?"

I saw one of his eyebrows raise in surprise.

"Yes… Yes I do sell a few types here… We do have tourists that come by here. Sometimes they forget their own at home or they lost it. So, I stock up on a few… What type you want?"

"A Polaroid, if you have it that is…"

"Ah! Of course I would have those! If you wanted those electronic types, that's a different story…"

He ducked his head again behind the counter, I heard him shuffling stuff around again. He soon showed his head again, his hands coming back empty.

"Hmm… They're probably in the back somewhere… Give me a moment to find them," he said as he turned away from me to go check the back storage.

I looked down at Charlie, who was being awfully quiet… I saw him glance at me, but he didn't look at me long. His look bothered me.

"Hey Charlie… Is something bothering you?"

He gave me a sad look, he looked upset about something.

"Yeah… Lady… Is it true that you're— a devil?" he asked me.

That comment made me want to wince and to once again take me back to what Felicia did…

"No Charlie… I'm not that… Not at all…"

"So, how come the pink haired lady called you that?"

I sighed before I replied in a calming manner, "She's just— really upset Charlie… She was angry and she needed to release her anger on something… I just happened to be the target was all… She— didn't mean those things she said…"

I think I was trying to convince _myself_ of those words, more than him… Even though I am trying to think of that situation in a different perspective, I couldn't help but feel that she was being serious (_very_ serious) about her words… Calling me such a name…

"Really! So, it's okay for me to hug you?" Charlie said, his voice waking me up from my inner thoughts.

I smiled at him and nodded my head.

He immediately came from around the counter and he gave me a hug, from his small height of course. He looked up at me from his position and smiled.

"I'm glad! I thought the lady meant it… She looked really mad… She— kind of scared me…" he admitted quietly.

I couldn't help but pat the top of his head gently.

"It's okay Charlie… Thank you for asking, it makes me smile," I told him.

He let go of me and he ran back behind the counter, in a _much_ happier mood.

He lightly laughed, but then he slightly frowned at me and said, "Don't tell Eliza I said that was scared! She'll call me weak and stuff!"

I couldn't help but laugh, I found it to be too cute.

"Okay, I won't tell."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

He gave me a wide smile in reply.

Just then, Chen came back from the back, with three different types of cameras. He put them onto the top of the counter, carefully.

"These are the only three types I have that are Polaroid's… Which fits your needs?"

I looked at them, all of them being in the same color, a grayish black- each a slightly different look. I decided to pick the one that looked the most modern and the smallest size out of the rest. It was a nice size too, slick and thin. Thin enough to fit my pocket.

"How much?"

"40,000 G."

I immediately put it back on the counter. Won't be getting that one… It looked real nice too…

I picked up the second one that looked less bulky then the rest, a decent small size too…

"This one?"

"Ehmm… That one is 7,000 G. There's already film in it, about 20 I believe…"

"Great! Let's see if I have enough to get it…"

I once again searched my rucksack, and to my surprise, I had just enough to get the camera- leaving only about 100G though…

I took out the amount and handed it to Chen. We exchanged hands and I put my camera into my rucksack before putting the sack on my back again.

"Thanks again!"

"No problem Chen," I told him, being grateful that he had a camera.

He then gave me a questioning look.

"Do you mind me asking what you're planning to do with those things?"

I wished he didn't ask, because I didn't have a backup idea… Hiding the truth from him. I hesitated to answer. Chen must have saw the discomfort on my face. But, instead of him frowning more, he smiled.

"Oh! I get it! You're planning to make a scrapbook!"

"Er…"

He laughed lightly and said, "Well if that is what you wanted to do, it would have saved you the trouble to get a premade scrapbook. All designed for you inside, all you had to do was write in it and add pictures- things of that sort."

I decided to go with his idea- it sounded less dreadful then what I really am going to do with it…

"Y-Yeah… I didn't want to say anything… I thought you might take me as being childish," I lied.

I thought he would see through my lie, as I am horrible at it sometimes, but he didn't…

"There's nothing childish about it… Though I wouldn't do it I'm afraid, it's not my hobby… Anyway, I bet you need some glue too."

"W-Well… I probably do, but I don't think I have enough for a glue stick."

I saw him reach a hand down behind his counter, and he revealed a glue stick to me. He held out the item to me.

"Take it. It's on the house," he said.

I was about to protest, but he saw it coming.

"You have done a lot for this island Chelsea, as much as Mark. You deserve a break too."

I gave him a smile of gratitude and I took the glue stick, putting it inside my rucksack along with the other items. I gave them both a silent goodbye before I left the shop.

Once I was outside, I took the camera out that I just bought. I looked at the small buttons on it, memorizing them.

"_First thing… Are profiles…_" I thought.

I'm planning to use the camera to take pictures of all of the people I think are suspects… Not including Elliot, Natalie, and Julia for now… And then I'm going to put them into my notebook, along with my notes and such next to it…

I already knew who should be first… Well, it's two actually- Denny and Vaughn…

I turned to head back towards the beach, deciding to ask Denny for his picture first. Vaughn doesn't seem like the type that likes his picture taken…

"_Maybe I should go to him last…_"

I just reached the entrance of the beach and I looked around, hoping that Denny would be on the beach already. I then looked out towards the ocean, and I could just make out a small speck, that was slowly getting larger. Denny's sailboat maybe?

I ran towards the dock and stood at the edge, waiting for the object to come closer.

I was right, it turned out to be Denny's sailboat.

I waited for him to come to the shore, which took a few minutes or so before he finally reached the dock. From inside of his sailboat, he smiled up at me in greeting while Kuu chirped lightly.

"Morning Denny. Had a good time fishing?" I asked him.

He hopped out of his sailboat and began to tie it around the think wooden plank attached to the dock.

"I didn't go out to fish… I just went out for some fresh air is all…" he replied, while grunting to tighten the rope.

He then faced me once he thought his rope tying was good and continued, "It helps relax the mind. Sometimes, just lazing around is needed."

I nodded my head at him, though I didn't comment on how serious he sounded.

He looked down, at my hands, and his smile widen.

"Hey, is that a camera?"

He chuckled and said, "I didn't think I was _that_ famous for my fishing skills."

I couldn't help but roll my eyes at him, but I laughed as well.

"I hate to disappoint you Denny, but I'm not here just to take a picture of _you_… I'm going to take _everyone's_ picture for my— scrapbook," I said, the last part being a lie.

Denny's smile turned into a small smirk.

"I can do a pose right?" he asked me, being completely serious.

"Uh… Sure… I was just planning to do headshots, but, if you want to go as far as that…"

"Awesome!"

He raised one of his hands and gave a thumbs up, along with his smile widening to the fullest. Kuu seemed to pose as well, as the bird moved its body a little to the side and I could have sworn he was _smiling_.

I put the camera's lens against my eye, looking through the hole. I could see Denny, mostly his upper half- still in the same pose.

"Say cheese!" I said.

I say Denny roll his eyes, but he said the magic word anyway. I snapped the picture, and there was a brief flash of light.

I waited for the picture to print out, and I could see Denny blinking his eyes rapidly- getting the daze out. Kuu looked like he was spinning around a little on his shoulder.

The familiar square finally came out of the thin slot. I grabbed the white part of it and I gently shook it, to dry it a little quicker, but not ruining the colors as well. Denny waited for a few seconds, before he gave in to his excitement (I could clearly see it on his face).

"I think that's enough shaking it. Can I see it now?" he asked me.

I held my hand out to him with the picture between my fingers. He took it and he looked at it. His smile appeared on his face once again.

"This is pretty clear… I look pretty good too."

"I think you've been around Lanna a little _too_ long," I told him.

He lightly chuckled at that and said, "I can't help it that I look good… But yeah, her personality seems to be rubbing onto me a bit. Not that I mind anyway…"

I took the picture from him. I went through my rucksack for the journal, and the pen that came with it. I finally found it and I uncapped the pen. I looked at Denny and asked, "Hey Denny… What's your last name?"

He gave me a surprised look.

"I never told you?"

I shook my head.

"Not really…"

I saw him slightly frown and tilt his head to the side, maybe thinking. He finally shrugged his shoulders and said, "My last name is Trawl… Denny Trawl**_(7)_**."

I wrote down his full name on the white part on the picture and I put the picture into a random spot between the pages in the journal. I put the journal back into my rucksack.

"That's all I wanted Denny… Thanks for posing… I think."

"Heh heh, no problem Chelsea! And remember, take a break today…"

"I am, what do you think I'm doing?"

He just smiled at me in reply. I waved at him in goodbye and then I turned away from him to head back to West Town. But Denny's voice rang through my ears.

"Wouldn't it be easier to take a picture of Will first! I mean, his yacht is right here!"

I turned my head to face the yacht, and I thought about it.

"_It would be easier… But, his name is very long… His name wouldn't even fit on the square photo…_"

"Maybe later!" I shouted back to him.

He just shrugged his shoulders, and I turned away to continue my walk.

"_Besides… Will is probably busy…_"

I finally reached the stony path in West Town. I desperately wanted to head towards the Animal Shop, to get Julia's last name (I never asked her what it was) and to comfort her… But, I forced myself to not follow that action…

But, I did see a familiar face walking on the path, the cowboy hat and all. He didn't see me though.

"Hey Vaughn," I said, to gain his attention.

He turned to face me, a bit quickly. I must have scared him a little. He frowned at me and said, "I thought I told you to take a break… What are you doing out here instead of being at home?"

"I am taking a break. I can go outside you know… Anyway, I thought I'd start a scrapbook… So, I'm going around taking pictures of everybody…" I told him.

And that's when he noticed the camera in my hand.

"What are you going to do with that now?"

"I want to take your picture," I told him simply.

"I don't think so."

"Vaughn… I took Denny's picture… It wouldn't be right if I take everybody else's picture except your own… I'm even going to take Will's picture later, I'm sure he would agree…"

_That_ made his frown deepen.

"Hmph! Fine…! I'll let you take a picture of me… But, don't do anything stupid with it."

I sighed as I got the camera ready.

"What do you have against pictures anyway?"

"Believe me… You don't want to know that…"

I didn't ask any further questions about it, even though I wanted to know what that could possibly mean…

I looked through the lens, and he still held a frown on his face… Not only that, the way his hat was looming over his face made him look kind of— scary… As in, a killer-crazy-like manner… It made him look like an criminal, and the frown wasn't making it any better…

"Vaughn, I think you should smile… You wouldn't look so… Well…" I let the sentence drift off.

"What? Why do I have to smile?"

"Well… If I remember right, didn't you say that you would work on your smile?"

The frown on his face didn't lighten any.

"You know, I still haven't really seen you give a huge smile…"

I heard him mutter under his breath, but through the lens, his frown turned into that small half-smile of his. Well, it's better then what his faced looked like before…

I didn't bother telling him to say 'cheese', he wouldn't anyway…

I snapped the picture and like before, waited for the picture to appear.

Vaughn rubbed his eyes and asked, "Is it ready?"

The familiar square finally appeared and I began to gently shake it to dry it. After a few moments, I looked at it. Vaughn looked down at the photo as well, but he didn't comment.

"See? You don't look bad smiling," I commented on his half-smile.

He gave me a small smirk in reply, before his usual frown appeared.

"Who's going to be looking at the scrapbook?"

"It's a scrapbook… I guess anyone."

He shook his head and said, "I don't want anybody to see this."

"It's not like nobody else haven't seen your half-smiles… But, if it _really_ bothers you that much- I won't show anybody."

He looked satisfied with my answer, that part anyway.

"Unless they ask for it of course," I finished.

I ignored the light glare he would give me as I took out my journal and pen again.

"Vaughn… What's your last name?" I asked him.

I was more curious about his last name then Denny's- or anybody's truthfully…

"Why?"

"So I can write it on the picture," I explained.

"My first name should be enough."

"Knowing your last name wouldn't hurt…"

He said nothing for a moment, and I thought he wasn't going to tell me anyway.

I was about to put the picture into the journal, last name nameless, but the sound of his voice stopped me.

"Vacant**_(8)_**…" he said in a low voice.

I couldn't help but give him a look of surprise. He gave me a solemn look in return.

"It's Vacant…" he repeated in a low voice.

I quickly wrote his full name on the bottom of the picture, before he could change his mind. I put the picture inside the journal, to join Denny's, and I put the journal back inside my rucksack.

I excepted Vaughn to head off, to finish his work most likely, but he decided to ask me a question in return.

"What's yours?" he asked me.

"My last name, right?"

He gave me a small nod, and I said, "It's Candid… Fitting right?"

I saw him blink his eyes a few times, and he looked deep in thought.

"I got to go… I still got work to do…" he said, beginning to walk away.

"Okay… I'll see you around…"

I looked towards the Animal Shop, being sure he would be heading that way, and another question appeared in my mind.

"What's Julia's last name?"

He just turned his head and said, "Splendóra."**_(9)_**

He then just kept walking towards the shop.

I sighed and realized how many others I had to do…

"_This will take awhile…_" I thought.

* * *

**LATER THAT EVENING…**

* * *

**Chelsea's POV**

I looked around my house, making sure I was really alone before I would start searching about something on my laptop.

I was the only one inside, but that didn't mean somebody wasn't nearby… Listening to me, or even watching me…

I shook my head.

"_I'm turning paranoid… Not that I don't have the right to be…_"

I opened my laptop that I rested on the table, facing away from the window and mostly the door. I didn't know if there was any wireless internet connections nearby, but I crossed my fingers hoping that there would be one… Hoping that Sabrina would have one…

I messed around with my computer for a few minutes, seeing if there were any connections nearby… To my joy (and surprise), there was one… To further my luck, it wasn't password protected, which meant I could use it to my heart's content.

I immediately hooked up to the connection, waited for a few minutes before I tried the internet… It worked, as I saw my familiar homepage appear. I hurried along to a famous search engine and I used it to help me figure out how to lift fingerprints off an item. Of course, tons of websites appeared. I decided to click on the first link.

I leaned my head in the palm of my hand as I skimmed the page with my eyes. Not to my surprise, the procedure required a little work…

As I continued to read through the procedures, especially towards the bottom, I saw something that caught my interest… I read it, and I didn't like what it said…

I read it out loud to myself, "Vegetarians are less likely to leave fingerprints…"**_(10)_**

"_Aw, crap._"

I read the reason behind it to myself, and I realized that I was in _huge_ trouble.

Even if there was no reason, I would still have a problem. Almost everybody on the island, that I know, are vegetarians… And since that is true, there will most likely not be any fingerprints on the rope…

I sighed in frustration, another 'easy way out' broken…

I could have sent the fingerprints that I lifted to the police and then they take it from there. But, luck isn't on my side this time… Truthfully, it hasn't been lately…

I exited out of the browser I was using completely and then I put my laptop on sleep. I closed the top and pushed it away from me.

"_Well… I have the profiling complete at least…_"

I stood up from my seat and walked over to the bookshelf. I reached for the journal that I brought earlier, wedged tightly between two thicker books, making it almost hard to see or find. I removed it from its spot and went back to the table to relook at the information I already wrote in it a few hours before.

I opened the first page, Denny's picture was on it, along with written information below it…

I began to read it:

* * *

'**Name:** Denny Trawl

**Age:** Unknown (IDK)

**Occupation:** Fisherman

**Profile (based on my observations):**

Denny seems to be a very nice guy. He's mostly cheerful, outgoing, and he tries to see the bright side of everything. He has a good sense of humor and I can almost guarantee that he'll be the one that cheer anyone up when they're down. The best example I can come up with is the puffer fish incident, at the cooking festival that Pierre hosts (another resident of Sunny Island). Even though there was a possibility of Pierre dying from the incident, and I was the cause of it- he cheered me up in his 'Denny' way, being slightly humorous and telling me it was a accident. In my opinion, I am grateful to have him as a friend…

The bird on his shoulder name is Kuu. The bird doesn't really speak. It makes a strange chirping sound when it wants to display its feelings… To this day, I don't even know what kind of bird Kuu is. One day, I would like to know… Maybe I'll look online…

**Motives (if he did it):**

I can't come up with one… I have a hard time seeing Denny in that light… I can't see him with a evil look on his face… But, if I must come up with one, the only thing I can think up is that he wants the beach to himself…? I don't know, the reason sounds stupid, but, maybe it makes sense to him in his own head. Maybe he has gone nuts and wants the beach to himself, and only himself… I still think it sounds stupid… I'll be back to change this in the future…'

* * *

I then turned a few pages ahead. I intentionally left a few pages blank, to add on to it in the future. I began to read the next person's profile, this one picture-less:

* * *

'**Name:** Julia Splendóra

**Age:** Unknown (IDK, even though I should)

**Occupation:** Animal Shop Assistant

**Profile (based on my observations):**

Julia is my best friend! I will admit that she can be a nuisance sometimes, but, she's great most of the time. She is also outgoing, but not so much as Denny, I think… She isn't afraid to wear clothes that tends to be revealing (or even revolting) to some people. I think when I first met her, I thought she would be shallow, based on her looks alone (making me dislike her a little)… I'm glad to be wrong about that, as she is the complete opposite. She is a good person as well, and cares about the people around her- she would be the other person that'll cheer me up when I am down… And of course, I can't forget her— strange(?) thoughts… Sometimes she teases her cousin (Vaughn), and there are times when she teases us both… I don't know why she does it… I will admit that it's funny to watch them argue though… I am very grateful to have her as my best friend… I just wish I could comfort her now…

**Motives (if she did it):**

I can't even imagine Julia wanting to hurt Elliot (another resident of Sunny Island). As she has a interest in him. Though, I'm not sure if they are dating or not. She (or even Elliot) don't really say… But, if I must come up with a reason, I have a rather— bizarre one… Maybe, if she really did it, she hurt Elliot so that she could have him to herself… To forcefully take care of him… Maybe, she thought he works too hard and wants to stop him from working… Strangely, this makes a little sense to me… I feel like I need to be somewhere else right now…

If the 'motive' I came up with is true— her 'plan' backfired… As Felicia has forbidden her to see Elliot ever again… Due to me… I don't know what else to write… I have to return to this… As this is making my head spin right now…'

* * *

I sighed and continued to turn the pages. I read the following, this one showing a picture:

* * *

'**Name:** Lanna Pulsate**_(11)_**

**Age:** Unknown (she wouldn't tell me)

**Occupation:** Fisher—woman… Ex Pop-star (she'll kill me if she saw those forbidden words together)

**Profile (based on my observations):**

Lanna is… She is… Different… I don't know what to write about her… She is _very_ outgoing and isn't afraid to— flirt and such (I've seen her do this to Denny a few times). She has a beautiful singing voice, making mine seem very horrible in comparison… She use to be a famous pop-star before she came here to relax. Though, she keeps telling everybody that she's planning to return to her career- once she comes up with a catchy song of course… She fishes as a hobby, though she tells me that she enjoys doing it. Of course, she would be close to Denny because of this. She doesn't like it too much when Denny doesn't pay attention to her… I know, she has told me a few times herself… I'm not exactly close with Lanna, but I do consider her as a friend.

**Motives (if she did it):**

I don't have one. I can't even come up with one that would make even a little sense… I keep having this funny idea that, if she did it, she'll hurt Elliot because he messed up one of her clothes or something like that… I have to come back to this…'

* * *

I turned the pages again, landing on the page that featured a face that I want to avoid for a little while longer. Seeing him, made me feel sorry for him:

* * *

'**Name:** Mark Mills

**Age:** 25 (he told me some time ago)

**Occupation:** Rancher (he's my partner/boss)

**Profile (based on my observations):**

Mark… When I first met him, he gave off a glow that was full of confidence and optimism. He is a hard worker and will do anything to help others- he has helped me countless times… He usually smiles, for a reason or none at all… But, as of lately, he has been quiet and keeps to himself… He still cares about the people around him, but, it's not the same… He's only like that because… Well… Last season he made a confession to me about his feelings, and I turned him down… As gently as I could, at least, I hope it was gentle… I'm not so sure anymore…

Besides Mark being a hard worker, he is intelligent as well. I remember when he showed me his 'vault', he had a reasonable explanation of why he wouldn't make his house as large as Sabrina's (another resident of Sunny Island). I wouldn't be surprised if he is meticulous as well…

**Motives (if he did it):**

I don't know, truthfully… Elliot is his best friend, why would he hurt him? If he is as intelligent as I think he is, he would have known (or had an idea rather) that Felicia would stop having business with everyone on the island altogether. He would have some idea that by doing his 'plan', that finances will stop… Unless, there is another motive… If there is, I don't know what it is…'

* * *

I quickly moved on to the next one, not wanting to think about my feelings if Mark really would do such a horrific crime:

* * *

'**Name:** Pierre Connoisseur**_(12)_**

**Age:** Unknown (IDK, never asked)

**Occupation:** Chef

**Profile (based on my observations):**

Pierre looks like a kid, and to me, acts like one as well. He is always, before the puffer fish incident anyway, happy. He loves to cook and mostly only talks about food and his dreams… I haven't seen him much, but, after the puffer fish incident, he's been going back to his normal happy self- at least, I think so… I don't have much else to write about him…

**Motives (if he did it):**

Truthfully, I can't come up with one… Why would he hurt Elliot? Well… Him and Natalie hang out with each other a lot… Maybe… Natalie convinced him to do this… Maybe, to her, this is all some kind of joke… I don't find it very funny, but sometimes her jokes are a little cruel and not funny at all… I was told once by Mark, some time ago, that one of her tricks involved shooting an arrow at his head while a apple rested on it… I don't remember the whole story right now, but I know it was dangerous… I don't know how that is funny, he could have gotten seriously hurt… I have to think about this a little longer… This makes a lot of sense… And if this is really a practical joke on her part, maybe she is afraid to say something because of the damage that she has done. Not only to her brother, but what I have endured as well— her mother's anger for one… I really have to think about this…'

* * *

After reading that passage, I felt my face burn up and my heart racing. It made me angry, just thinking about it- that this all could be some practical joke on her part… Though, if it is, I can't help but admit that I would be relieved too…

I moved on to the next profile information:

* * *

'**Name:** Sabrina Zales**_(13)_**

**Age:** Unknown (IDK, didn't ask)

**Occupation:** Accountant (for her father's company only?)

**Profile (based on my observations):**

Sabrina is a very quiet and shy girl. When she talks, she sometimes stutters, but she does warm up overtime. She is also very intelligent. When I went mining, before the accident happened, she took a intelligent guess on how many levels there were. I can't say if she was right or not, as I didn't go down as far, but I somehow believe her… She is also an artist, but she does it as a hobby, she doesn't sell any of her drawings… She also has a library, so she reads a lot. As for her being the accountant for the mining company, she loves jewels as well. If I ever go mining again, she would be the one I would go to about the quality and such concerning the jewels. Even though she comes from a rich family, she doesn't seem spoiled in anyway. Like Julia, she is the opposite of what some people would expect. Her father though, is another story…

**Motives (if she did it):**

I thought it was impossible to imagine Denny with an evil face expression, it's even harder to imagine Sabrina with a evil background. I can't even come up with a logical reason for why she would do it… To me, it doesn't make sense… She has a personality like a— mouse... If she climbed that ladder, wouldn't she be afraid of falling? Or, would she even bother touching the rusty and filthy looking ladder… This doesn't make sense to me… I admit that she does have the intelligence to do such a crime— but what is the reason (or is there more than one?) behind it? I have to come back to this one…'

* * *

I turned the pages and I couldn't help but laugh a little at the memory of the photo I took of this wild man. I began to read what I wrote:

* * *

'**Name:** Shea

**Age:** Unknown (I don't think he even knows)

**Occupation:** Hunter (None really, but I wanted to put something here)

**Profile (based on my observations):**

Shea is hard to understand at times, as he doesn't speak the language perfectly. He speaks in broken sentences, but I can understand him enough— and others as well if they listen closely… Shea believes he is a warrior and wants to be as strong as Wada (his 'foster' father). I admit that he is a little naïve but he's a good person overall. He seems to follow his instincts as well…

As far as I know, he seems to have a animal companion as well… I met him… Or rather, he almost killed me with his sharp claws. Shea had to convince the animal that I was a friend… I knew I shouldn't have came near the small little kitten… I should have known it wasn't a kitten, at least, not really… Shea calls his companion, the smaller one, Leo**_(14)_**. I have to wonder if he knows that there is a meaning behind the name… He just calls the bigger one, 'big cat'… I don't know why he would name one but not the other… Maybe he thinks it's some warrior thing?

**Motives (if he did it):**

Shea may be a wild man, but he isn't evil… I can't even come up with a reason that doesn't make any sense. What would he even gain by hurting Elliot? He hardly knows anyone on the island. Besides me, Mark, and maybe Denny- there's nobody else that he really knows… I have to come back to this…'

* * *

I turned the pages again, and I gave myself a small smile, as the person in the photo did:

* * *

'**Name:** Vaughn Vacant

**Age:** Unknown (IDK. I want to ask, but I don't think he'll tell me…)

**Occupation:** Livestock Dealer/Animal Expert (Wed. and Thurs. per week on the island)

**Profile (based on my observations):**

Vaughn… Nobody can miss him… He has strange colored eyes, though, they aren't so strange that you want to look away… They're actually a very pretty color of lavender, darker though.. They're kind of, hypnotizing… He also has strange colored hair as well… A white/silverish color… But, it looks nice… I have to wonder if his hair has always been that color or did it just change color one day…

Vaughn himself, is a very hard worker and keeps to himself mostly. Meaning he's quiet, but I don't think he's shy- as he talks whatever is on his mind. He looks intimidating, and he can be a jerk at times (along with being sarcastic), but, he's mostly nice (or as close to that as he can get). He's more— blunt, then trying to be mean, I think. I think he's trying to say something truthful, but sometimes, whatever he says- comes out mean somewhat. I don't think he means to be that way though… I think he gets angry easily, but I haven't seen him hurt somebody in his anger… So, he does seem to have control over it… I believe Vaughn is intelligent as well. I'm not sure if he is 'book smart', but he definitely has some sort of cleverness about him… The only thing I can think of is the time he shared his view about rain… What he told me, made me see him in a different light, a little more… Sometimes, I think there is more to him then what he shares…

**Motives (if he did it):**

I know Vaughn gets angry, meaning a short temper (I believe), but I can't really… Well, actually, I can imagine him with an evil-like grin… But, that doesn't mean he would do such a crime… The only 'motive' I can come up with is that he is being an 'overprotective' cousin… I know he dislikes almost everybody on the island, probably Elliot more than a few others… As his cousin, Julia, likes him (a lot). So, maybe he got tired of it and dropped a whole crate on him… Or rather, cut the crate… He had to be really mad at Elliot though… He must have done something if this is true… I have to come back to this in the future…'

* * *

I shook my head at a few of the things I wrote. Mostly about what I wrote for his profile… I wrote more than necessary… Though, I couldn't help but feel that I needed to write it…

"_Well, I can change it later…_"

I didn't want to think about the possibility of him being responsible for the incident. It makes me feel— disappointed and afraid, on a whole new level…

I quickly turned to the next few pages and looked at the next profile information:

* * *

'**Name:** William Terry Louis Andrew Carrick Jonathan Dredge Hams Reading Roger Southwark Alwick Plymouth Junior Regison III (Will for short)

**Age:** Unknown (IDK, never asked)

**Occupation:** ? (IDK truthfully)

**Profile (based on my observations):**

Will is a gentlemen, through and through. He is very polite and he has a strange way with words sometimes. His accent is a little, well, he's definitely not from the city. I'm not sure where he is from, but I know it's not somewhere nearby. He's from some far off land (I have to ask him where sometime in the future). He acts like a prince, I guess. When he first met me, after he introduced himself, he kissed the back of my hand- so he obviously has respect for the opposite gender. He always, as far as I have known him, says something nice- always complimenting. He doesn't exactly live on the island. He lives on his yacht, which is cool! He gave some of the residents a tour of it earlier this season, it's really big! If I had the time, I would probably spend most of my time in his game room or something. Will is intelligent as well, as he can speak another language, I'm not sure how many, but I wouldn't be surprised if he knows 10 or more… He doesn't seem spoiled by his money, as he doesn't brag about it (like Sabrina doesn't) or accepts anything that looks expensive… He seems more into things that are simple, I think… Will is— like a perfect person…

**Motives (if he did it):**

It's hard for me to imagine Will being a bad person. He might be 'perfect', but that shouldn't scream 'evil' to somebody… He does have the intellect and skills (I've seen him do back flips before without breaking a sweat) to get up that ladder and cut the rope with ease… The problem is, what is his motive (or motives if there is more than one)? He just got here, he has only been here for approximately 2 weeks. What would he have against Elliot or anyone else on the island? Truthfully, if it was Vaughn, I can— somewhat understand… As the two don't get along too well... I haven't seen Will lose his temper with Vaughn at all, even when Vaughn is angry with him… But, maybe Will has finally snapped? Maybe, he really doesn't have anything against Elliot, but he is channeling his anger towards others and not the real target… Vaughn, I think, in this case… I'm getting a little dizzy writing this, and it's making me feel frightened… I'll come back to this as well…'

* * *

I almost couldn't believe that I wrote those things about Will… It's seemed so— _wrong_… But, in a very sick way, it made sense…

I quickly moved on to the last profile. This one picture-less because I didn't want to see that particular person anytime soon:

* * *

'**Name:** Witch Princess (real name unknown)

**Age:** Unknown (IDK, wouldn't pass it to be 100 years or something…)

**Occupation:** Witch (Dark Magic most likely…)

**Profile (based on my observations):**

When I first met WP, I thought she was cool- being able to do magic whenever she felt like it and her clothes look kind of cool too… But, after talking to her earlier today, I'm a little wary about her now… Especially now that I know what those teddy bears really are… I can't believe that those teddy bears use to be people… People that made deals with her…

I don't like talking (or writing rather) poorly about anyone, but she isn't a nice person, at least, not really… She seems to cause trouble when things aren't moving fast enough or helping her… I think I remember her once saying that when bad things happen, purposely or not, it helps keep her stay young because she feels the shock of it… I haven't seen her use magic yet, but I wouldn't get it pass her that she knows how…

**Motives (if she did it):**

WP would have a lot of motives. For one, maybe she needs a bigger shock, more than usual, to stay young… Maybe the island is too peaceful for her, and so she is causing trouble to make it more exciting and to get us to turn on each other… Well, that 'plan' would work if I told anyone about the incident concerning Elliot, but I won't… Another motive is that she is doing this to irritate the Harvest Goddess, as she can't (or won't rather) do anything to stop the events from happening. As, in this moment, she can't see the future to prevent them ahead of time… She said, 'the events are already set on their course' or something like that…. WP can't see her actions either, but that doesn't mean that she would care about her actions. If something goes wrong, she wouldn't really care, as it'll benefit her anyway… At this point and time, WP is my top suspect… I'll add in to this in the future, when more evidence comes to light…'

* * *

I closed the journal and sighed through my nose as I put it on the table. At this point, the Witch Princess is the top suspect, but, without any evidence- so is everyone else… Based on the 'motives' I came up with… Other then the rope I have, there is no other evidence to link anybody to the incident concerning Elliot… But, one thing really bothered me…

"_What made the person decide to cause trouble now? Why not do it before I got here? Why now!_"

Those questions, more than anything, bothered me the most… Why? Why now?

I'm not concerned about why causeing harm to another person or the damages- none of that. Those questions are important, but not as important as this.

"Why…? Why now…?" I muttered to myself.

I tried to think about everything, and I mean _everything_. The events that happened before this one occurred… And then, I asked myself, "What did I think when I heard about the incident?"

I sat there in the stool, still dumbfounded… And then, I felt like a train hit me in the head— hard. The answer that came to me was so terrifying, but, in the criminal's mind— brilliant… If I thought about it, it _is_ brilliant…

"_The person… Is using the omen as a cover-up… That's why they're causing trouble now… The omen, according to what Alisa told me, means that bad things will happen to me… If not just to me, then to the people around me…_"

I was glad that I was sitting down, as I felt my legs become weak. If I had been standing, I would have fell to the floor. I expanded on the idea.

"_If that's true… Then how far back does the omen go? Has the omen really been at fault at all for anything? Or has it been somebody this whole time that has been causing trouble? If so, how many are they responsible for?_"

I slowly and carefully stood up from my seat and I walked over to the bed. I got on top of it and I put myself into a tight ball position, hugging myself tightly. My thoughts continuing with the horrifying truth.

"_Then… Does that mean someone is trying to get rid of— me…!_"

I couldn't take it anymore, the pain of this possibility. I couldn't hold back the tears anymore.

In that moment, I felt terrified— and very alone…

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**SUMMER 21ST – MONDAY**

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**Elliot's POV**

My eyes opened, and the first thing I saw was white— lots of white. It was all around me.

"_Am I dead? Is this— heaven?_"

That thought was thrown out quickly when my sense of touch kicked in. The first thing I felt was the constant aching in my arms, both of them. Then I felt something tight around my neck, making me unable to move it. Finally, I felt the way my whole body felt as a whole- exhausted, weary- just tired… My mouth and lips felt dry, as if I had been walking in the desert. I could feel them crack, I felt like they might bleed.

I licked my lips to moisten them a bit and I said, realizing that my voice was hoarse, "Where am I?"

"You're in the hospital. Where else would you be?" a familiar voice said.

I tried not to sigh out loud; I instead made my eyes move to the far right where I heard the voice come from. Of course, it was my sister Natalie. She wasn't too far from the bed, where I lay at I realized.

"The hospital?"

She nodded her head once.

"Why am I here?" I asked her.

"Well… You didn't just get a scratch. The bones in your arms broke. I hear that they broke completely in half… Anyway, you needed surgery, so we're in the city hospital," she explained.

I looked away from her and stared at the ceiling.

"How long have I've been asleep?"

"4 days."

I tried to sit up in alarm, but it was hard when there was something wrapped around my neck tightly and I can't use my arms to help support me. So, I gave up that action quickly.

"4 d-days!"

"Yeah. The doctors said that you shouldn't have been asleep that long… They understood about you sleeping for a day to avoid the pain your body was feeling. But… They said sleeping for an extra 3 days was a little much… They figured that you have been working too hard and now you were just catching up on sleep… Looks like they were right."

I sighed and asked the inevitable, "What— have they done to me?"

"They did surgery on your both of your arms. They both broke so… As for your neck, I think they said you have whiplash… The collar around your neck will have to come off and on, as they're not exactly sure how serious the injury is…"

"How long?"

Natalie sighed, and said in a very low voice, "For your arms, they said at least 2 seasons… Maybe less, if you're a fast healer… Though, I think it'll take longer because you don't like milk…"

I winced at the comment.

"_Great, so I get punished for not liking something that I apparently need now… Why me?_"

I decided to move on to more important matters, before Natalie could throw an insult at me.

"What's going to happen to the business?"

I saw her twiddle with her fingers.

"Well… I don't really know… I think Mom is planning to just sell crates for awhile…"

I sighed and I closed my eyes, finding this whole mess my fault… I should have been careful where I was going… Funny that I could barely remember what exactly happened… I remember a large crate, but, that's about it…

I redirected myself to the conversation.

"I guess she has no choice, now that both of us are out…"

I looked around the room with my eyes, trying to find something that'll quench my thirst.

"Is there water anywhere? My throat feels very dry… It's beginning to become hard to talk…"

"Can you even sit up?"

Once again, I tried to sit up, but I just felt too weak. And the pain was becoming a lot worse.

"No," I finally admitted.

I heard her sigh as she reached towards the bed. I couldn't see what she was doing, but then I could hear a whirling sound- and my head rising. She must have moved the bed, putting me in a sitting up position.

"Thank you…"

I saw her roll her wheelchair to the other side of the bed. Once she was close enough, she pulled something up and turned it. It was a small side table, where the trays would rest when food is brought to the patient (me in this case). I saw her then take some pitcher off of another table behind her. She poured a clear liquid (water!) into a cup and laid the cup on the small table in front of me.

She pushed the cup as close as she could to my mouth, but I couldn't reach it of course. And I couldn't really move my arms at the moment. They were wrapped in casts, leaving only my hands free from the binding. She realized this as she turned again to get something else off the table behind her. She revealed a wrapped straw. She unwrapped it and put it into the cup of water, bending the straw as well. Lucky for me, I was able to reach it with my mouth.

I hurriedly drank as much as I could, reveling in the taste of fresh water on my tongue.

I kept drinking until I got brain freeze, forcing me to stop. But I still felt good, as my throat didn't feel as dry now.

"I feel better now…"

I sighed in relief, but then I realized something.

"Hey… Why are you doing this?"

She scowled at me in reply, and I quickly apologized before she could hurt me. I sighed in relief when she didn't take action.

"Well… I bet back at home their worried about me… Especially Julia and Mark… I have to apologize to them…"

I saw Natalie look away, looking a little troubled, but I didn't ask about it. I continued with my thoughts of home.

"Though, I can't wait to see them… I bet they'll be glad to see that I'm okay…"

I then frowned a little, that's when something dawned on me…

"Are there any cards for me? To get well?"

Natalie shook her head.

At first, I didn't believe her, thinking that she's playing a cruel joke. So, I looked around the room myself, with my eyes. But, she was telling the truth… I didn't see one single card for me— not even balloons. I just saw the whiteness of the walls, making me feel just like that— empty…

"Oh… Does Mom have them?"

I heard Natalie sigh and she looked at me. I saw a expression on her face that I have never seen before. She was expressing regret and sorrow. I didn't like what she might say…

"Mom doesn't have them either… Because none were sent to you…"

"W… Why wouldn't Julia, out of everyone, not send me anything?"

"Because… Mom isn't allowing anyone to see you… She's not allowing either of us to be seen anymore… By anybody…"

I was completely baffled by her words. They made _absolutely_ no sense to me.

"That doesn't make any sense Natalie…"

I saw her frown and her voice rising a bit.

"Don't you get it!" she hissed.

She continued before I could get a word in.

"She isn't allowing us to see anyone and she isn't allowing them to come see us! In other words, we have to stay inside the house! _Now_ do you get it!"

I shrink into the bed a little, due to her voice. She looked away and I could hear her muttering under her breath.

"_Why would Mom do such a thing? Is she that angry?_"

"I… Mom is just mad is all… She won't keep us in the house…"

"You keep telling yourself that, but she means what she says… She isn't in a 'temporarily bad mood', she's completely serious…"

Natalie looked back at me. I couldn't believe my eyes, she looked— afraid…

"She _opened her freaking eyes_ Elliot… She's dead serious… She's not joking…!"

I felt my eyes wince at the news, and I felt afraid myself.

"She… Opened her eyes…?" I repeated.

Natalie just nodded her head, not wanting to talk anymore.

I can't even remember the last time Mom did that… I just remember the fear I felt after the experience…

As I sat there thinking about what could have possibly led my Mom to do such a action, Natalie presented a small wrapped present on my legs. I blinked my eyes at it, not believing it was there- completely caught off guard.

"W-What's this?"

"Today is your birthday, so…"

"_Oh_ no..! Natalie, I'm not in the mood for a _surprise_ from you right now…!"

She ignored my words and said, "Open it… Your hands shouldn't be broken…"

She pushed the present closer to my immobile arms. I decided to not protest, she'll just get me to open it later somehow… Best to get this over with now…

I just lifted my hands without lifting my arms, and slowly unwrapped the gift. I closed my eyes, dreading for something dangerous to come out of the box. But, after a few moments, nothing happened. I dared to open one eye and looked. Inside the box, was a pair of glasses… They looked like, my glasses!

And that's when I noticed that they weren't on my nose.

"_That's why the room looks kind of blurry- and everything looks almost white…_"

I was about to accuse her of not only taking my glasses, but for giving them to me as a present. But, that's when I noticed something tied to the temples of my glasses.

"_What is that?_"

I moved the box downward so that I could reach into it and grab them. I took them out of the box and I examined the glasses. Tied to the end of the glasses was a thick long strong, tied to the back of both sides of the temples.

"Why is this string on my glasses?" I asked her.

Natalie said nothing, for what felt like forever, but she finally spoke in a very low tone.

"I put that there so that they can stop falling off your eyes… And with your injury, well, it might be harder to keep putting them on… So… You can tighten and loosen the string… And if they do fall off, it'll just fall around your neck…"

I looked at her in surprise. This is the first present she has _ever_ given me that hasn't attacked me in some form!

I could feel myself smiling lightly at the gift in my hands, and at her as well.

"Thanks Natalie… I appreciate this…" I told her, being very sincere.

I then chuckled nervously and said, "But, I can't put them on to try them out."

She scowled in irritation and then she snatched them out of my hands.

"Ugh! You're so _helpless_!" Ah, that's my sister.

She put the string over my head and rested the glasses on my nose, being rough with her actions. She then tighten the string around my head, a little too tight, but I didn't dare complain about it. Even though the string was tight, the glasses didn't fall off my head… And most likely, they never will (unless I take them off of course).

"Wow… These will never fall off or become tilted over my eyes…"

I looked at her again and lightly smiled, "Thank you Natalie… I really mean it…"

I saw her mumble a little under her breathe, and I hoped that she wouldn't beat me up for giving her a _compliment_, but her face expression became distressing again…

"So… What will you do about our curfew for eternity?" she asked me.

I was hoping that she was joking about that, to distract me from seeing where she hid my present… But, she's not joking— or lying…

"Nothing… Whatever Mom says—goes…"

I meant every word of that sentence, even if it was wrong…

**_TO BE CONTINUED…_**

* * *

**BONUS**

* * *

**Title:** **_Elliot's Determination_**

**By:** kitty8688theonly/kitty8688 the only

**Rating:** K; Even a little kid could read this…

**Type of Story:** Harvest Moon: Island Of Happiness; Elliot X Julia; **Oneshot (Elliot's POV)**; Drama, Humor, and Romance.

**Quick Summary:** Elliot has been frustrated lately. He wants to give Julia a gift, but not one that he can buy from the store. He wants to give her gift that is special, maybe from his heart? How far will he go to get this special gift for her?

**Character's Presented (in Order of Appearance): **Elliot, Sabrina, Regis, Taro, Mark, Julia, Felicia, and Natalie.

**Started On & Completed Date:** May 08, 2010 (Start Date) & May 09, 2010 (Complete Date)

**Total Pages:** 11

**WARNING:** This oneshot has **_NOTHING_** to do with the story above. This one was created because of the damage done to Elliot. This is 'make up' for his damages- this oneshot is technically a chapter late XD

* * *

**Elliot's POV**

I heaved the last crate of the day onto the boat. Once I put it down, I wiped the sweat off of my forehead and brows. I sighed in relief, happy to be done with work for the day- early for once!

"_Well, now it's Natalie's job to count the crates to make sure they're all accounted for,_" I thought to myself.

I climbed down the plank that would put me back onto the sandy shores of the beach. I began to walk, enjoying the cool summer breeze, it cooling down my body. I sighed as a thought came to me, one that has been bothering me for the past few weeks.

"_What should I give to Julia?_"

Usually I don't really give Julia anything, except on special occasions. But, I once overheard her conversation with Chelsea about receiving a gift(s) with no reason attached to it… Such as, 'Just because it is a Monday'… So, I want to fulfill her wish, as best as I can… But, I haven't come up with anything unique yet…

I was now standing outside of my home where I lived with my mother, grandfather, and sister. I decided not to go inside, I want to avoid Natalie right now… So, I instead took a seat on one of the empty crates outside of my home. I then rested my elbow on my knee and my head rested within the palm of my hand- thinking to myself.

"_What are all of the things that she likes?_" I asked myself.

I went through an imaginary list in my mind, going through each item one by one. Soon, my mind lingered on one item.

"_I know she really loves flowers…_"

But, I didn't know what kind I should get her…

I stood up from my 'seat' and I began to walk on the stony path, going pass the Animal Shop. I kept going until I reached East Town, stopping in front of Sabrina's mansion… And that is when the light bulb clicked in my head.

In my excitement, I ran up to the front door of the mansion and pressed a finger to the doorbell. I could hear the familiar tune ringing inside the mansion. I didn't have to wait long for a familiar pair of purple eyes covered in round lens glasses to open the door. The pair blinked at me and she said in her meek voice, "Hello Elliot… How can I help you?"

"Morning Sabrina. I hope I'm not interrupting anything…"

"It's okay Elliot, you're not."

"I'm glad to hear that… Listen, I came by to ask if I can go through your library real quick…"

She nodded her head in permission and she opened the door wider to let me through.

I entered the mansion, not even bothering to look around, since I have been here more then once before.

Without asking, I immediately took a right in the hallway. I kept walking until I reached the open doorway that led to the library. I walked in without hesitation and I began to search for that special gift.

I could hear the soft pattering of feet behind me, most likely Sabrina. Or at least, I thought it was her…

"Who let you in?" another familiar voice said, this one being more commanding, raspier, and firm.

I turned away from the bookshelf to face her father, Regis.

"Sa-Sabrina let me in, sir."

He looked me up and down; his frown beginning to show. He was giving me a small disapproving look. Her father always gave me the creeps— sometimes I think he wants to kill me for no reason…

"Why are you here?"

"I-I'm trying to look up in-information about a flower is all. Er, sir…" I added the last part quickly.

He looked at me again, up and down. He then turned away and left; the disapproving look still on his face. I then could hear his voice in the hallway, though he was trying his best to whisper (though, was he _really_ trying to whisper?).

"I don't like this boy Sabrina. I think you can do better, especially for one who has a strange interest in flowers," I heard her father say.

I kept the sigh to myself and I tried to ignore their bound to happen argument as I turned towards the bookshelf again. I continued my search for several minutes, before I found a book that looked interesting, that might help me.

I opened it and I kept flipping through the pages, only skimming each page long enough to view words of interest on each. I finally stopped at a particular page.

"_The White Flower…?_"

Even though it had a common name, it looked beautiful. It definitely lived up to its name- it was a white flower. Not just any white flower though, it was very rare…

I read the description to myself, repeating bits and pieces of it in my mind.

"_Grows at the top of mountains… Only during Summer… Mostly appears at night… Once a year…_"

I continued to read the rest of it.

I finally closed the book and put it back in its place (at least, I think I put it back in its correct place).

I listened, waiting for voices in the hallway. But, I didn't hear anything.

"_They must be done talking…_"

I stepped through the open doorway to go into the hallway again. I didn't see anyone there, so I kept walking until I reached the door. From there, I shouted, "Thank you Sabrina! I'll talk to you sometime soon!"

I quickly left, afraid that Regis would get on me for yelling inside of his mansion.

I know knew what to get Julia as a gift! I wanted to get that flower- by tonight!

I felt so excited and full of energy that I quickly walked home to get the needed supplies.

Once I stood in front of my home again, I went inside. To my relief, my sister wasn't around- neither was my grandfather! My mom was in the room, laying in the bed- taking a nap most likely.

Without making too much noise, I gathered the items I needed from the large cabinet we had next to the kitchen. I grabbed a big duffle bag and I began to put snacks and a few leftovers inside it. I thought it would be enough to get me by for many hours (even a few days if it really comes to that).

I rested the back on the kitchen counter, I walked up to one of the crates by the front door, that held some of my things, and I opened it. I searched inside it for a futon, or anything that'll keep me warm.

I found a extra futon and went back to the kitchen counter where I left the duffel bag. I forcefully stuffed it into the bag, but I couldn't zip it— the bag was bulging too much…

I picked up the duffel bag and I left the house, ready to head towards the mountain.

"_Once I get there… All I have to do is wait…_"

* * *

**TWO DAYS LATER…**

* * *

**Elliot's POV**

I tighten the blanket around me that came with the futon, slightly shivering from the night cold air. As much as I should be afraid of the dangerous animals that I might encounter, I was too worried about getting that flower… I _really_ wanted to give it to Julia… I wanted her to know that I— really like her…

I felt my nose tingling, already knowing what's coming. I let out a loud sneeze a moment later.

"You're going to catch more than a cold if you stay here for another day."

The voice made me jump, and I was glad that I didn't fall forward far enough to fall off the mountain…

I turned to face the speaker, a very familiar voice to me. The speaker gave me a light smile and said, "May I join you?"

I gave him my own smile and nodded my head in response, a little too cold to speak.

I could hear his boots crunching the ground under his feet and his rubber boots squeaking loudly as he got closer. He finally took a seat beside me. I could feel his eyes on me for a moment before he looked in the same direction I was- straight ahead…

"You're trying to count all of the stars or something Elliot?" my best friend asked me, being mostly serious with his questions.

I couldn't help but laugh in embarrassment. I wouldn't blame him asking me, it seemed like I was doing exactly that.

I shook my head in response to his question.

"I bet you're cold huh? Why don't you go home and have something hot to eat?"

I shook my head and said, willing to talk a little now, "I can't… I'm waiting…"

He chuckled lightly and said, "I knew you would say that…"

He took his rucksack off of his back and he opened it. He then presented me the best gift I can ever receive (at this moment anyway). Soup!

I eagerly held onto the sides of the bowl, feeling the warmth of soup seeping into my hands. As I picked up the spoon, I realized it wasn't just _any_ type of soup- it was corn soup! My favorite!

I eagerly began to sip the broth from the soup, the hot food warming my whole body- making me feel refreshed. I greedily ate the rest, my best friend remained silent.

I handed the empty bowl to him and said, "Thanks, Mark… I feel _so_ much better."

He chuckled and put the empty bowl into his rucksack. I heard him sigh in content.

"So… What you're waiting for?" he finally asked me.

"For a flower to grow."

He gave me a look with an eyebrow raised.

"Elliot, I take care of crops all day and I know flowers don't grow in one day… Neither have I heard of a flower growing on top of a mountain…"

"I know it sounds unbelievable, but the book I read at Sabrina's house had pictures and everything about it! So, I know it's real."

"Hmm… Was it fiction or nonfiction?"

"Huh?"

"The book… Was it fiction or non?"

"Er…"

I had no answer to that, as I didn't know myself. With my luck, it's most likely fiction. I felt even more embarrassed.

"You don't know… Do you?"

I barely shook my head in response to his question- too embarrassed to speak.

Mark sighed and chuckled lightly at my mess-up.

"It's alright, everyone makes mistakes."

"_Not as badly as me,_" I thought.

"Anyway… I came up here because your family is worried about you."

"I highly doubt Natalie misses me…"

"No, even Natalie misses you."

"Yeah… Probably misses making fun of me."

He chuckled and scratched the back of his head, "Okay, so I lied about that. But, you should come home now Elliot… You can always find another flower, there are plenty on the island…"

I sighed and I slowly stood up, my legs feeling a little stiff from sitting for so long.

"You're right… I was foolish to believe that the flower would appear here… I don't even remember if it said that it grows here…"

Mark stood up as well and he patted my back in comfort, as friends do.

"I didn't say you were foolish… I actually think the opposite. I think you're being brave- showing a lot of determination. You stayed out here for _two days_ Elliot… That takes a lot of courage," he said to me, being serious with his speech.

I thought about what he said and I smiled to myself, for myself. He somehow always saw the bright side of things… I'm glad to have such a friend as him…

"Thanks…"

I unwrapped the blanket from around me and I began to fold up the futon, to put back into the duffel bag I took with me

I was lucky that Mark came today- I was actually low on food… Knowing me, I wouldn't have noticed, or maybe not even care… That's how determined I was to get that flower for Julia. There were plenty of times I wanted to go home- due to the creepy night sounds around me, the darkness of the night, the hallucinated footsteps I would hear, the cold, and many other things I can think of… But, I didn't go home…

"_Mark is right… I was being— courageous for once…_"

I never thought that word, courage, would ever be in my mind… Or even be said to me. I have always, if not most of the time, heard the words 'coward', 'fraid-ey cat', 'no backbone' and so on to me… But, I have never heard someone use that word to me— and meaning it… And of course, I would never use the word for myself… I didn't really think the word applied to me, had _absolutely nothing_ to do with me… I always felt that the word was too above me, _better_ than me… I didn't deserve to even _think_ about the word. But today… That word can be added to my mind, I can now say it, and without regret or disbelief…

I finally had all of the things set and I looked at Mark.

"I'm ready," I told him.

He nodded his head once and he patted my shoulder.

"We'll find something in the jungle or something," he said.

As we began to walk away, we suddenly saw a _very_ bright light. Or rather, we saw our shadows rise in height and a lot of white surrounding them. At the same time, we both turned around, and we could see The White Flower just beginning to bloom. It was shining, as bright as the stars that littered the dark sky. The petals were white (of course), and the inside of it was a golden color. It looked marvelous…

We stood there, just staring at the flower, the moon making it gleam more than it already was. Mark was the first to speak.

"Wow… Looks like you were right… It's real…" he muttered under his breath, completely captivated by its beauty as I was.

I woke up from my daze and ran towards it in a few steps. I bent down and gently pulled it from the hard ground. Once I thought it would be okay on the journey back home, I turned to face Mark.

"I'm ready now," I said to him.

He just nodded his head and we both began our walk down the mountain.

"You're lucky it appeared… And that it's real!" Mark commented.

I gave him a nervous chuckle in reply.

We finally reached the front of my home, I couldn't help but look at the Animal Shop- wanting to see a certain someone…

Mark, of course, noticed.

"Well, I'm going home… You know, she is probably still up… I sure she would appreciate a wonderful gift before she hits the sack," he said.

I think I nodded my head. I know I heard Mark walk away, I'm not sure if he said anything else to me before he left…

I took a deep breath in, trying to calm my nerves, and I began the walk to the front door of the shop.

I gently knocked on the wooden door, and waited.

The door finally opened, and I was glad to see a familiar gentle face (thank goodness it wasn't her cousin!). She blinked at me in surprise and then she gave me one of her wonderful smiles.

"Hey Elliot… I haven't seen you in a while… Where have you been?"

I felt a little guilty and I couldn't look at her for long, so I looked away, and I could feel my cheeks warming up.

"O-Oh I've just been here and there… A-Anyway, I came by to give you th-this."

I presented the flower to her, practically shoving the item in front of her. She didn't seem to mind my actions, as she was too busy looking at the flower in my hands.

"Elliot… This is… A wonderful gift..!"

She took the items from my hand, making me shutter slightly from the touch of her soft skin.

She giggled softly and she said, "Thank you Elliot! I'll make sure to put this in a vase right away!"

I just nodded my head, too stunned to talk.

"Hmm… Goodnight Elliot," she said softly.

She then caught me off guard. She quickly leaned forward and kissed the top of my forehead, a very gentle and soft one.

I'm sure my whole face turned red, as she giggled at my expression before she retreated to the inside of her home.

I vaguely remembered turning away from the door, feeling a little dazed- it was hard for me to stay on my own two feet, I felt like falling down… Actually, I felt a little of the opposite- I felt like I was _floating_.

I then felt two arms around my body, hugging me tightly.

"Wh-What!" I yelped in surprise.

"Elliot! I was so worried about you! Where have you been!" my mother asked me while still holding on to me.

"Oh… Um, I'm sorry to worry you Mom… I didn't really realize that I was away for so long…" I admitted.

She held on to the side of my arms and extended them at arm lengths to look at me.

"Well, just don't do that again," she scolded.

I just laughed nervously. She finally let go of me and went to the kitchen area. I don't remember when I entered the house, must have been too happy to notice…

I looked towards the doorframe where it would lead to our bedrooms, and Natalie was leaning against it.

"Where have you been anyway?" she asked me.

"It's not like you're really interested… But, if you must know, I was at the mountain top… Trying to get a rare flower for Julia…"

"For 2 days?"

"Yeah…"

She stood up straight, walked towards me, and punched my arm- hard.

"Ow! Natalie! I just got back!"

"Well thanks to your little stunt, I had to do all of the work myself!"

I rubbed my painful arm and sighed, feeling a little guilty for my actions (though I don't regret them!).

"Sorry… I didn't think about that…"

"Though… I admit that you must have been rally determined to do such a stunt… 2 days up there… Huh… Congrads on your bravery for once," she said, though quietly so that only I can hear her.

I couldn't help but feel flabbergasted by her words. Before I could reply, in the positive, she punched my arm again- the same one she hit before. The pain doubled of course.

"You're still weak though!" she said before she walked passed me.

I sighed and shook my head.

"_Well… That's the closest I have heard Natalie say something nice to me…_"

I smiled to myself.

"_Life isn't so bad after all…_"

* * *

**AUTHOR'S COMMENTS/NOTES**

* * *

**POLL IS UP!** I know this chapter is long, but since I haven't updated it in a month (just about), I thought you readers wouldn't mind anyway…

Anyway, if you're asking what the poll is about, it's NOT about couples, okay? It's about who the criminal is- of who YOU think it is. A few extra names have been listed, just to get you thinking is all! And just to let you know, it's a blind poll. In other words, results WILL NOT be shown UNTIL I close the poll. When will it be closed? At least a chapter BEFORE I reveal the culprit… If there really is one that is :) I know, I'm giving you a headache. In order to vote, you MUST have an account on FF (this site). If you don't have an account or you don't want to make one, and you want to vote, then you can always review instead (anonymously would be best). When I close the poll in the future, then I'll make sure to add your vote to it etc. To view the poll, go to my profile and look at the top. Make sure you choose CAREFULLY! Remember, you can only vote ONCE, you can't change your mind later!

As for this chapter, I ALWAYS had the scene of Felicia slapping Chelsea in my head for quite some time now. I just had to wait for the perfect opportunity to use it… Besides, I think it's time for Chelsea to get, er, physically hit. Seriously, in some Chelsea and Vaughn fic., HE'S the one that is always getting hurt. He's been slapped, punched, probably kicked, and I think he's been shot too. See? It's always him getting hurt- I thought it would be different for the main character to get it this time. And not just by anyone, a usually motherly figure like Felicia I thought would be best. I thought it was a great scene…

Chelsea's journal, or to be more accurate, her criminal profiling (investigation journal), I was debating whether or not to add it… I decided to as you can see, it's to get you all thinking and such :) I don't want her to seem too smart though, so I made her say some things that'll get you to thinking and of course, leaving stuff out for YOU to think about/figure out as well. I don't want to give away too much information. I suggest you to follow and to not follow her journal. That's for you to decide what I mean by that… As far as I know, her journal entries WILL NOT be shown a lot. I'm not sure if this will be the only time, but, I'll see what to do about that…

As you can see, Elliot isn't dead. This story genre ISN'T tragedy. In other words, nobody dies in this story. If you're expecting deaths to happen in this story, I'm afraid it won't. Also, you may have noticed that Chelsea is keeping the information to herself- that's because I don't want chaos on the island- at this point anyway. That not exactly the point of the story… Besides, this story is supposed to be approximately 40 chapters. And it's not even halfway there… Long way to go…

The next chapter… I'm not sure if I should split it up or not… Depending on how long it'll be, it could be one or I'll split it and it'll turn into two chapters… Have to see… Next chapter title will not be revealed to you. You'll just have to wait and see!

As a last note/warning, I will most likely be busy during the summer. I have to start studying for the MCAT (Medical College Admission Test). Will I update? Yeah. A lot/often? I'm not sure yet. We'll see what the future will be like right?

And now, onto the numbers! I missed them so:

**(1)** …_ Devil's spawn/Devil Rancher_: This was technically an inside joke I made up. Er… It's not exactly funny but when I was playing with Chelsea in the game, I made some comment about her being possibly the devil- because she wears a lot of red. I think I only said that because she is so happy, so, I made up something like that… I didn't really think I would use it for my story though XD! It works…

**(2)** … _Kodak moment_: It means a once in a lifetime event, or something like that. An event someone wished they could have taken a picture of. Something like that…

**(3)** …_ two types of bones_: The bones located in the forearm, there are two of them. One is called the Radius and the other is Ulna. Breaking both of them could take the bones months to heal back completely. If you're a fast healer, maybe only about a month or two would be needed.

**(4)** … _wear a collar around his neck_: This has been somewhat explained in the story already. This is only needed to help him from straining himself and make sure that there is as little as possible nerve damage in that area is all.

**(5)** _Urashima _[浦島/Oo-rah-shi-ma; 'oo' as in 'boo']: Okay, you caught me, I stole this name XD Those of you that read the manga or seen the anime 'Love Hina' by Ken Akamatsu, would recognize this name. Due to the main character (Urashima Keitaro; 浦島 景太郎) in the series having glasses on and is, almost like Elliot in a strange way, I thought- eh- why not use it? This last name was mostly for Elliot, but since he has a mother and a sister… They all obviously share the same last name. Taro's last name will be different because Felicia was once married(?), and she kept her husband's last name.

**(6)**… _That oath…_: The oath is referring to is the one I will take in the future- once I get accepted into a medical school of course… Anyway, the oath is called, 'The Hippocratic Oath'. There are two versions of the oath, the original and classic. Original is what it is- the original one. The classic one is the one that has been revised to fit the century. It's mostly a short passage, but it means a lot. If you want to read it, either of types, you can easily look it up.

**(7-9; 11-13)** _Last Names_: If anyone bothered to download the EBook SAMPLE version, you would ALREADY know each main characters last name, excluding Shea… Anyway, here they are:

- Denny Trawl: 'Trawl' is a fishing tool :) I know, quite fitting. In exact words from Wikipedia:

"Trawling is a method of fishing that involves pulling a large fishing net through the water behind one or more boats. The net that is used for trawling is called a **_trawl_**."

For more information about trawling or trawls, go to Wikipedia or check online.

- Vaughn Vacant: 'Vacant' has an adjective meaning and a noun meaning. For noun, it means empty (basically)- like an empty parking lot. For adjective, it means 'void of thought or knowledge' and 'without occupant'. This word works for Vaughn, don't you think? But, those aren't exactly the meanings I am going for. I used this word because of the meaning it has in dreams- if you have/seen it in dreams. This might be revealed in the future.

As much as I would like to give Vaughn other last names like 'Toushiro', 'Ichimaru', 'Walker', or even 'Jaegerjaquez' (XD), I thought I should give him an 'original' one that would be more fitting.

- Julia Splendóra: 'Splendóra' is technically not a word. It's kind of mixed up… I believe I made it up based on the word 'splendor' and I just added the 'a' at the end to give it a 'nice' sound. The word 'splendor' means splendid- basically. Which fits her as well.

- Lanna Pulsate: 'Pulsate' means beat, pulse, rhythm- things of that sort. Fitting right?

- Pierre Connoisseur: Wait… Does that rhyme? XD Anyway, 'connoisseur' means expert in a certain field (mostly art). Once again, the name fits right?

- Sabrina Zales: 'Zales' isn't technically a word. It's a place- a company. Zales is a diamond company that sells jewelry and such. 'Zales' looked more fitting then 'Jared'. Come on, 'Sabrina Jared', that sounds weird… Once again, the name fits.

If you're wondering why Shea doesn't have one, it's because he shouldn't have one. He was found by Wada, a wild jungle man. I highly doubt he has his own. I'm sure Shea has one, but I'm sure he doesn't remember what it is.

**(10)** _Vegetarians are less likely to leave fingerprints_: This statement is mostly true. Fingerprints are created based on the natural oils we secrete from our bodies (that is how they're made). The natural oil is called sebrum. Depending on your diet, you can have very oily hands or not. If you eat a lot of greasy foods, you're more than likely going to secrete a lot of that oil (plus, it'll be at a different 'acidic' level). Vegetarians on the other hand would less likely have as much oil in their body (unless they eat a lot of vegetables that are oily). It basically depends on how dry your hands are… If you touch something lightly, and your hands are SUPER dry, you're less likely to leave a print. Again, it depends on the oil you secrete.

**(14)** _Leo_: As in, Leo the lion. Get it? His friend is a jaguar (not panther!), which is a lion (kind of) without a mane. If you look up the astrology/zodiac meaning for 'Leo', it fits very well. At first, I wanted to name the jaguar 'Jir jir', but, it didn't work out… And no, it doesn't mean anything- I already tried looking it up… At least, I think it doesn't mean anything… I know I heard those words somewhere before… Maybe my mind just made it up?

* * *

To those of you that read my reply to Velf, located in my LiveJournal account now ('friends' only can view any/all replies); THAT is the type of review that I would consider as criticism. Basically, I want to make it **_VERY CLEAR_** that it's **_FINE/OKAY_** to criticize my work. I won't bite ya— unless you're made out of food, then that'll be a problem. But, other than that, no I won't.

Thank you for reading/understanding.

**_THANK YOU ALL FOR REVIEWING (And to those that read anonymously)!_**


	20. Chapter 19, Ugly is Beautiful

**Chapter 19, Ugly is Beautiful**

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**SUMMER 23TH – WEDNESDAY**

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**Chelsea's POV**

I could hear a noise in the distance, faint, but loud enough to reach my ears. The sound was a rhythm of tapping, something sharp hitting another hard surface.

I groggily opened my eyes, sitting up before I looked around the room- everything still in a light blur.

Blinking my eyes a few times and rubbing them, I realized I didn't hear the sound anymore.

"_Must of been part of my dream…_"

Funny that I don't remember having a dream…

But, the tapping sound came again, this time, being much louder and persistent.

I frantically looked around the room, until I focused on the window. I thought I saw something there, but whatever or whoever it was, didn't stay still for long for me to form a picture in my mind.

I immediately jumped out of my bed and ran to the window. Looking out of it, I still didn't see anything. Considering what I found out only last week, I felt even more nervous.

Since my unfortunate discovery last week, I've been acting— not myself… I do try to smile all of the time and act my usual 'hyperactive' self... But, I think I'm doing a poor job of that… Mark commented, more than once, that I have been acting a little— out. More than usual.

In response to his concerns, I just told him that I felt homesick… Luckily, he believed in my excuse…

"_Sooner or later, he's going to see that I'm lying…_"

I turned away from the window and rubbed my temples gently, already feeling a dreadful ache coming into my brain.

Looking around the house, my eyes finally landed on the calendar. On the calendar, I saw something circled in red. I walked up to it, the calendar becoming clearer as I came closer- and I figured out why something was circled. Gasping in surprise, more out of forgetfulness, as I saw a certain event was taking place today.

"The horse festival is today!"

I turned away from the calendar and ran to my closet to get my usual outfit; excitement of the festival taking over the other feeling I had just a few moments before.

I found my attire and ran to the bathroom, to get ready for the day.

After freshening up, and making sure everything was in order in the bathroom, I finally left.

I was ready to leave to go check the mailbox, but that tapping sound was back again…

Instead of being afraid of the sound, I was annoyed. I ran up to the window, where the sound was coming from again, and looked out of it… This time, the cause of the sound was still there. The animal was staring at me with a look of interest, as if _I_ was the strange foreign being.

I bent my head a little, to be on the same eyelevel as the bird creature that continued to stare at me. I lifted my own hand and lightly tapped the window on my side. In response, the bird let out a small screech and flapped its wings at me- making me jump back abruptly.

Lucky for me, it couldn't hurt me because it was outside; while I'm safe inside of my comfy home.

"_Someone sent an large bird after me?_" my wild imagination got to me first.

The bird itself had flown away from my window, but not without giving me a quick glance.

"_Does it… Want me to follow it?_"

It was a crazy thought, and truthfully, I don't want to risk my life on a crazy thought…

"I do have to leave the house _sometime_…" I muttered to myself.

I looked for my red boots and my rucksack. Of course, I left both of the items by the door. I grabbed my rucksack and boots; quickly putting on the boots and the rucksack on my back. I put a hand on the doorknob once I was set. Taking a deep breath in, and slowly letting it out.

"_If that thing outside attacks me…_" I left the thought unfinished, not really sure how I could threaten the bird. I'm more afraid of it then it is of me (if it really is afraid of me).

I turned the doorknob and I pulled it open. I took a cautious step outside, closing the door behind me. I only took couple of steps at a time, until I stopped by the mailbox.

No bird in sight.

"_Huh… If this is a dream… It's a very weird one and… A little too real…_"

Just then, a loud screech sounded off, coming from the sky.

"_I spoke too soon…_"

I looked up in alarm, and the bird was flying around in circles. It's semi-long neck looked down at me, but it didn't charge at me (thank the Goddess!). The adrenaline and my heartbeat slowed down a little at that realization.

It soon broke formation and it flew straight ahead. At that moment, I was sure that it wanted me to follow it. I went into a dead run, not taking my eyes off of the bird.

I didn't even realize that the bird was leading me to a familiar place- not until I _almost_ bumped into somebody.

I stopped in my tracks on time, and the bird began to descend at the same time. My eyes followed the bird's trail downward, until it rested on the shoulder of a certain person. I stared at the man in surprise- though I shouldn't have been that shocked, he is good with animals after all.

He blinked at me once, and then he gave me one of his 'famous' half smiles.

"What took you so long?" he asked me.

I huffed at him.

"I'm not even late!"

"I'm here first."

"Yeah, and what does that mean?"

"It means you're late."

I just rolled my eyes at him while the half smile remained on his face.

I pointed to the bird resting on his right shoulder.

"Where did he come from?"

Vaughn's half smile turned into a grin.

"Him? How are you suppose to know that it's not a girl?"

"Vaughn!"

He let out a small chuckle and said, "It's a he. And, he's a red-tailed hawk."

I could hear the warning bells going off in my head, but I was more angry at Vaughn.

"Vaughn! He can't be anywhere near the chicken coop! He'll eat the chickens!"

It looked like he rolled his eyes at me, but I'm not sure.

"I know what he eats. I'm the one that told you that they eat chickens."

"Yes. So, why are you bringing him here?"

"I said they _rarely_ eat chickens."

"But they still eat chickens."

I heard him sigh out loud. It took him a moment before he spoke again.

"Don't worry, he's trained to not eat them… At least, as long as you feed him, he won't depend on his survival instincts."

That answer didn't make me feel any better… Well, it made me feel a little better. As long as I fed him, he'll be alright… I guess…

"Wait… He's staying here?" I asked him, a part of his sentence just making it to the forefront of my brain.

Vaughn nodded his head and said, "He can ward off most predators. At least, the ones in the air. So, if you do happen to _forget_ to close the roof of the chicken coop, he'll protect them."

"I won't forget to close the roof of the coop…"

"It doesn't hurt to be cautious."

I decided to take his 'gift'. After all, it really doesn't hurt to be on the safe side…

I nodded my head at him in agreement.

"I'll take him then… Does he have a name?"

"You can name him… I figured that you wanted to…"

I tapped the bottom of my chin, trying to come up with the perfect name for the graceful, yet cunning hawk.

And just like that, a name for him came up. The _perfect_ name.

"His name will be Trouble_**(1)**_," I told Vaughn with a small smile.

Vaughn gave me a bewildered look.

"Trouble? What kind of name is that?"

"His name."

"It's a silly name."

"Hey! You said that I can name him, and I want his name to be Trouble. Besides, he's not protesting about the name. I think he likes it."

As if to prove my point, the hawk gave a low 'koww' sound in approval … Wait, don't crows make that sound? Maybe it was another sound…

Vaughn gave me a exasperated sigh, but I could tell that he would agree with the name anyway.

"Fine… He's your bird anyway…"

"Now _that_ has been solved. What do I need to feed him?"

"I'll show you now. I didn't get to feed him yet," he said as one of his hands went into one of his pockets.

He took a few moments to get the item out of his pocket— whatever it was…

I couldn't see what the item exactly was from my position. All I saw was the back of the item, which happened to be squared shaped. Trouble was eyeing the item rather intently; so it _must_ be good for him. Vaughn opened the item, removing the cover. I was able to see what was inside. And inside of the container were—!

"KEEP THAT AWAY FROM ME!"

I somehow ended up jumping _real far_ away from Vaughn and that bird. The name definitely suited him— he brought trouble with him.

Vaughn looked at me, fully alert, and I saw him look around frantically, trying to find the source of what scared me. _Very_ unaware that the very thing that scared me was in his hands.

"What's wrong! Keep what away!"

He stopped looking around, finding no danger— still not realizing that the 'dangerous' item was in his hand.

I frantically pointed at the very item in his hand.

"Th-that thing! In your hand! Keep it _away_ from me!"

Vaughn looked at the item in his hand, and then he looked at me with an eyebrow raised.

"You're… talking about the dead mice?"

"Yes! Just— keep it away from me!"

I am _terrified_ of mice. I can't _stand_ them! There's just something about them that makes me scared of them. Maybe it's their somewhat pointy nose, or their whiskers. Just— _something_ about them makes me have a _extreme_ dislike for them.

"Chelsea… These mice are dead.. They can't cause harm to anybody," he explained, still giving me a skeptical look.

"I don't care that they're dead! Keep them _away_ from me! You hear me?"

He blinked his eyes at me once, and then he gave me a small mischievous grin. I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach that he was going to go against my wishes.

"You _better_ not!" I warned him.

He ignored me obviously, but he took a _big_ step towards me. I had nowhere to go, as my back was leaning against the front door of the stable. But, that didn't mean I didn't try to press my back against the door harder.

"I mean it Vaughn! This _isn't_ funny!"

Once again, he took another dangerous step towards me. He was getting a little closer to me, he only needed another step or two before he would reach me. This time, I had a comeback that _should_ stop him.

"You stop right there! If you take one more step I _swear_ I'll take your hat and _burn_ it! Do you hear me?"

That stopped him. His little evil grin turned downward, becoming an obvious frown.

"Hey… This hat is valuable. I can't replace it…"

He lightly shrugged his shoulders.

"It's not worth going so far… But, if you're afraid to feed him, he will eat the chickens… You know that right?"

"I-Isn't there another way for him to eat? Maybe he can go to the forest or the jungle to eat? Or maybe he can eat something else altogether?"

"Giving him rodents to eat would be best for him… But, if you really feel that way… Jesh, I didn't know that mice scared you. Why didn't you say anything before?"

"Because you never asked me! You never told me that you were going to bring a hawk over to fix the chicken predator problem!" I exclaimed.

He gave another light shrug.

"I wanted it to be a surprise technically…"

I realized that I was being rude. I should have appreciated his efforts to try to solve the problem I had. I couldn't help but feel guilty.

"I'm sorry Vaughn. I just… You know… I'm just a little stressed is all…"

"About the horse festival today?"

That wasn't exactly it… But, I couldn't say anything… Not about my detective work…

"Yeah… I'm not so sure that I'll win… At least, 2nd place…"

Trouble gave a small screech and Vaughn said, "I wouldn't worry so much. Based on what I have seen of Dash, he looks good."

"Are you saying that it's a guarantee win?"

"I didn't say that. Though, I wouldn't put it past you…"

Trouble gave a louder screech and pointed his beak towards the mice-filled container.

"Alright, alright. I'll feed you."

"Do you mind if you do that— elsewhere?"

He chuckled a little and said, "I'm going to bring him to the forest and see if he can do his hunting there. Since it is obvious that you won't feed him."

Vaughn quickly turned away from me and walked off, leaving the ranch before I could say anything to his statement.

I sighed, but I quickly shook it off. I had work to do… Not to mention, I had to meet Dash at the festival.

"_Hopefully I'll win… Any place will do… Just— __anything good__ that'll get my mind off of the bad events…_"

I made a silent prayer to the Harvest Goddess, asking her to at least _try_ to prevent anything bad from happening.

* * *

**Julia's POV**

I rubbed my puffy eyes and let out an exhausted yawn.

Just as I thought that I had regained myself to leave the backroom, I felt new fresh tears begin to form again. I quickly put a hand over my eyes, and I could feel my body shivering slightly.

"_It's not fair… It's just not fair!_"

I have been trying for _days_ to see if I can speak, see, or even hear Elliot. But, Feli- I mean, Mrs. Urashima, has made sure that I don't see him at all… I have tried countless times to talk it over with her, but nothing seems to work… Not even mom seems to be getting through to her… She is set that Chelsea is at fault with everything…

"_Chelsea…_"

I couldn't help but frown at her name, the tears quickly drying. I have been avoiding her as well— purposely.

Even though I truly believe she has nothing to do with his injury; I can't help but be angry with her – at least a little… If Mrs. Urashima blames her, I just… I guess I blame her subconsciously…

If I _really_ think about Mrs. Urashima's logic, it does make sense— at least a little…

I sighed at my depressing thoughts.

"_But can I really blame her? She's my friend… Isn't she…?_"

Maybe I'm just being selfish, but my happiness is ruined! I work hard everyday; excited to get up every morning, ready to start an new day, and seeing Elliot!

I began to slightly smile at a past event between me and Elliot.

"_Even though his sister constantly belittles him… He never seems to give up…_"

Ever since that day, almost two years ago, I have promised myself that I would work hard too! Everyday! If he could do it, then so could I!

"_Even though my cooking is still in the— beginning stage…_" I thought, a little disappointed that I haven't improved much in my skills.

"Julia? Are you alright?"

I turned around to face the door, startled. My heartbeats went back to normal though, once I saw that it was just mom. Being a little glad that it wasn't Vaughn; I don't need his snide comments right now.

I nodded, answering her question she asked a few seconds ago.

"I'm fine mom," I said, giving her a forced smile.

Of course, she saw right through my fake smile. But instead of her chastising me about keeping 'secrets' from her, my true feelings, she gently put her hand on my arm.

"Julia… You're… I know that you are still upset about not being able to see that nice boy Elliot anymore… And believe me, I still think his mother is being overzealous with her ridiculous idea that all the blame goes to Chelsea… And I have a feeling that you are beginning to feel the same," she said, looking me straight in the eyes to see if she'll catch me in a lie.

I didn't see the point of trying to hide my thoughts or feelings, but I couldn't admit it to her. So, I bit my bottom lip instead and looked away. My mom sighed, most likely at my expression.

"Julia… I taught you better than that. Have I not taught you that holding grudges against anyone doesn't do you any good?"

"We-Well… It's not really an grudge exactly…"

"Really? Then what would you call it?"

"I-I… Well okay… It can be called that… But mom, I just can't help it…! I'm angry and upset at the same time! How can't I feel at least a little angry towards her! I mean, you do have to admit that it's a little bit of an coincidence that these— _events_ started since she came…"

Mom wiped my eyes with her thumb, and let out a soft sigh.

"I know that it is a bit of an coincidence, an unfortunate one, but she can't be blamed for _all_ of this. What happened to Elliot, for one, is something that can happen to anyone on the job. He works with crates every day, some of them being rather large. There was an possibility that he was going to get an injury, sooner or later. It's no different than working at an construction site. It's already an dangerous job before anyone even signs up for the job. And if it's already known that the job is dangerous, then a person should be _extra_ careful, not careless."

"Are you saying that it's Elliot's fault for his injury!"

I couldn't believe my ears! I know that Elliot is a little clumsy, but it shouldn't be his fault for what happened to him.

Mom gave me small knowing smile and said, "And that's my point. It's not his fault, and neither is it's Chelsea's fault for his injury."

"I don't understand…"

"Julia, the ones at fault are the workers on the ship. They did not do their job."

"What do you mean?" She literally lost me.

"Taro told me that he found an large crate on Elliot, with rope around the crate. He figured the rope snapped due to rope rot… And what should that mean to you?_**(2)**_"

It took my mind an moment to catch up to what she was indicating.

"That means… that it's their fault for not changing the rope?"

Mom nodded her head at my answer, "It's the sailors jobs to check their ship daily, including the ropes. They haven't been doing their jobs…"

Mom then looked away and said, in a much lower voice, "I can see why they took that crate away so fast… Didn't want to be blamed for his injuries… Has nothing to do with that omen nonsense…"

"_Omen?_"_**(3)**_

"Um mom… What are you talking about?" I asked her, more curious about the omen part then anything.

She just shook her head and said, "Never mind me Julia. Just having one of those days…"

She then let out a sigh, "I just wish Felicia would see the logic side of the situation, instead of blaming the nearest person… She could have blamed the _right_ people."

She shook her head again while letting out a small 'tsk tsk'.

She then looked back at me, "You know the horse competition is today… Will you be able to handle the event with me? Or do you need to sit out on this one?"

Even if mom thinks I shouldn't be too disturbed over the situation, she still considers my feelings. No matter what her opinion about it might be.

I gave my mom a small smile, "I think I can handle it…"

She gave me her own smile and gently patted my back, "That's my girl… And what else will you do?"

"I will apologize to Chelsea for ignoring her and— for not being there for her as well…"

Mom rubbed my back, then she left the backroom, giving me a smile as she left.

I wiped my eyes with both hands and I patted my clothes, making myself more neat.

"_I'll try to enjoy the competition! It'll be fun! I'll focus on this, and life will get better! I just have to keep moving on! I can do this!_"

Feeling motivated now, I opened the door, and left the backroom, entering the main part of the shop/home again. I saw mom making herself busy in the kitchen area. I decided to make myself busy as well.

"Hey mom, did you check the mailbox yet?"

"No. Mind if you do that for me?"

I walked towards the front door and opened it. I only took one step outside before my foot hit something. Looking down at the ground, I saw an glass— perfume bottle?

"_What's this doing here?_"

I bent down to pick up the bottle, a nicely designed one now that I was really looking at it.

The bottle was definitely glass, in an octagon shape, being a sky blue color. The liquid inside looked clear, it could be a light yellow color. The little squirt itself being an light blue color as well.

Turning the bottle in different angles, getting a really good look at it, I finally decided to squeeze the squirter. The fine mist came out, evaporating into the air. I took a sniff, and I smelled— nothing.

"_Okay… What perfume doesn't have a smell?_"

I gave it another try, and waited for the mist to disappear. This time, when I took a whiff of the air, there was an faint smell… But, I couldn't identify it; though it did seem familiar somehow…

That is when I noticed a tag around the neck of the bottle. I turned the tag around, face up, to read the inscription.

"_From— Elliot?_"

That made me smile, and I had a tiny moment of wondering how he delivered this, but the idea didn't last long. I'm too giddy to care.

"_He got this for me, but left it here… He must have been in a hurry… Probably to not get caught …_"

My smile widened and I promised that I'll put it on right away! Perfect to try it out for the competition!

"Julia! Was there any mail?" I heard my mom shout from inside.

"I'll be there in a second!"

I then check the mailbox by the door, took out any envelopes, and ran back inside; feeling _very_ happy.

* * *

"Mom, isn't it time to let the competitors in now?"

We were at the meadow, with everything already set up, including the horses that are entering the competition. They were grazing the grass, and lightly neighing happily at their surroundings.

I saw mom looking over the names on the clipboard, and then she nodded her head, at my question, "Let them in, but make sure that they know that they have to sign up first before anything. The competition will start in a few minutes."

I nodded my own head and I ran towards the bridge. I looked across it, and I could see various faces, looking back at me with competition anxiety. I clapped my hands together and yelled, "All competitors of this contest can come in! Once you are in, please go up to the booth and sign your name on the clipboard. Any that hasn't done so will be disqualified! There are no exceptions to this rule!"

All at once, many people stepped forward; a few running, some walking, and there were some even _skipping_. I stepped to the side, watching them go by, and only seeking for one particular contestant… Good thing she was easy to find in the crowd.

As she walked by, I quickly grabbed her arm. I must have caught her by surprise, as she looked at me wide-eyed and I felt her jump slightly. I gave her a small smile, "Is it okay if we talk for a bit?"

Chelsea gave me her own small smile and she nodded her head in agreement. I pulled her to the side, avoiding the trample of people.

I released her arm and put my hands behind my back, feeling a little nervous, not to mention, embarrassed about this unavoidable encounter.

She stood there and just gave me a worried look, probably wondering if I was going to say something nice or mean to her… She probably picked the latter, I know I would…

I finally looked at her and said, "Chelsea… I just wanted to apologize for how I've been acting towards you… I know that you've been trying to talk to me and I have been— avoiding you… But, you have to understand that I was like that because I was angry at you and blaming you for Elliot's injury… I just…"

I shook my head, erasing those thoughts, "I'm sorry, I'm coming up with excuses again… But, I really am sorry Chelsea… I just wasn't there for you… But, now I am… So, will you forgive me?"

Her smile widen a little. She clearly looked happy at my answer.

"Of course I forgive you Julia… But, truthfully, I wouldn't blame you for being angry at me… If someone I cared about got hurt… Well, I would be a upset too, not to mention suspicious… I mean, if it wasn't for me, the omen most likely wouldn't have happened."

"_Omen? There it is again… Mom mentioned the same thing earlier…_"

"Chelsea… What omen? I have no idea what you are talking about…"

Chelsea waved her hands at me and said, "Don't worry about it! It's nothing, really."

"_It doesn't sound like nothing._"

"Chelsea…"

"I-I have to go! I didn't sign up yet, and I don't want to be disqualified. So, wish me luck!" she said as she turned away and ran off before I could stop her.

I just sighed at her retreating form. I'll just ask her later about that…If I remember that is…

"Having one of your blonde moments again Julia?" a annoyingly familiar voice said from behind me.

I rolled my eyes and I turned to face my cousin.

"No! For your information Vaughn, I was just talking to Chelsea about— well, that's none of your business!" I said to him, sticking out my tongue slightly at him.

"Hmmm… So you two are talking to each other again huh?"

"… Yeah…"

"Figured you two would sooner or later…"

I put an hand over my heart, touched by his concerns.

"Oh Vaughn! You care about my well-being!"

"No, that's not it. I was just worried that I might have to pass little notes between you two, which takes more work than just passing notes between desks."

I stomped one foot and put my hands on my hip, "Oh! You're _impossible_!"

And that is when _he_ went all weird on me. His nose literally started to twitch, and I saw him start to sniff the air. I raised an eyebrow at his weird behavior.

"Vaughn… Are you having an 'blonde moment' as you call it? Wait… You're hair is white, so wouldn't it be called an 'white moment?'"

"Don't be stupid! It's just that I smell something— funny…"

He continued sniffing, looking around, until his eyes landed back on me. He blinked his eyes at me a few times, and he literally bent down a little and sniffed me.

"What is wrong with you! Have you gone crazy!" he was too close for my liking.

I didn't have to wait long for him to pull back, albeit quickly, with clear disgust on his face.

"Ugh! It's _you_!"

I then realized that maybe he smelled the perfume. He has a sensitive nose, I barely smelt it at all when I applied it earlier.

"It must be the perfume you smell… Or, maybe the horses… I've been around them all day pretty much…"

"No, it's not the horses, I don't mind that smell at all. It's that other— whatever the hell perfume you have on! It smells _awful_!"

"Ohhh! You! Why don't you go bother someone else!… And I don't mean go sabotage Will's horse!"

Vaughn forgot all about the 'awful smell' and regained his normal frowning posture.

"I forgot that he would be in the competition… Where is he anyway?" he asked as he looked around for Will.

I looked around as well, but I gave up almost instantly… Besides, something that Chelsea said was bugging me…

"Hey Vaughn… Do you know anything about some omen?"

He continued his search for Will, but answered, "Why do you want to know?"

"So, you admit you have some idea what I am talking about?"

"I wouldn't really worry about it. It's just nonsense. Complete BS if you ask me."

"I just wanted to know because Chelsea mentioned it, but she didn't explain it to me…"

Vaughn finally gave up looking for Will, looking back at me with his usual serious expression, "Don't worry about it. It's nonsense, that's all you need to know."

"Well, it doesn't sound like nonsense to me! Especially if I heard it twice in the same day!"

Vaughn ignored what I said and continued to give me his serious expression. I decided not to ask anymore about it.

"Fine…! If you won't tell me, at least—"

"You should be at the booth… The competition will start soon."

Even though I know he is trying to change the topic, I have to admit that he is right.

I sighed, "You're right… We'll talk about this later, I promise you that."

I turned away from him and made my way through the crowd to reach the booth. It didn't take me long.

As soon as I reached the booth, mom decided that it was time to begin the contest.

"Those of you ready to vote for your favorite horse, please come up to the booth! In order to vote, put the number of your favorite horse on the line along with your initials next to it! All contestants, please come up to the booth as well!"

I decided to stay beside the booth, as I knew where the contestants would have to stand while the voting session was going on. The contestants began to pile up, one by one, I even saw Chelsea approaching- with Will not too far behind her…

"Good luck to you Chelsea. May the best horse caretaker win," Will said to her with a smile, being completely sincere.

"Same to you Will," she replied with her own small smile.

They both reached where I stood, Will being the first to greet me.

"Good morning Julia! Will you be one of the judges?"

I shook my head at him in answer.

"Not this year. Mom is doing all of the work… Maybe I will next year…"

I then gave Will an suspicious look, "Why? You were trying to bribe me?"

"I wouldn't dare do such a thing. I do not cheat, I always play fairly," he said, remaining calm despite my accusations.

I then brought my attention to Chelsea. She was looking down at the ground and biting her bottom lip. It looked like she was trying to be invisible…

"Chelsea…"

She looked at me, still biting her bottom lip. I wanted to ask her about the omen, but… I'll wait until she's ready to tell me herself… She's probably already stressed out enough…

I gave her a small smile and instead said, "Good luck Chelsea… I believe you have a chance at winning."

Her mouth curved into a smile, "Thanks Julia… It would be great if I do win…"

"Julia!"

I looked around Chelsea and my mom was there, with an clipboard in her hand, scribbling something into it.

"Julia, I'm going to start the 'Visual and Health' section of the contest. So, I want you to go behind the booth and wait for any last minute voters. Once that is done, then we'll begin the 'Vigor' section of the contest," my mom said as she walked off, mumbling a few things to herself.

I sighed to myself; that I'll have to be in one spot for awhile.

I left the competitors alone and went behind the booth. I didn't have to wait long for a voter to come up, a familiar face.

"Yo Julia!" Denny said happily.

His smile then faded, turning into concern, "How is everything with you? You alright?"

"I'm fine Denny, really… Thanks for asking… Now, are you ready to vote or are you going to stand there all day?"

"I don't think I can stand _here_ all day. Now if I was fishing that would be another story!"

He chuckled and then he scratched his chin, "As for voting… I think I'll pick 3…"

"_That's Chelsea's horse number_," I thought, but not telling Denny that information.

As if Denny read my mind, he said, "I hope that's Chelsea's horse…"

"You're supposed to vote for the horse that you think is best based on your reference. _Not_ based on whose horse is whose."

"Yeah well, I'm not voting for _that_ one," he said as he pointed to an black horse behind him.

"That one tried to kick me! I was going to vote for that one too…"

"Are you sure about your vote?"

"Well, I thought about voting for number 4, but I changed my mind…"

"_That's Will's horse number…_"

Denny rolled his eyes and said, "Everyone knows that's Will's horse."

Unfortunately, he's right. His horse is the only one that is white.

"So, why did you change your mind?"

"Because I know Vaughn will kill me is why."

I laughed at his reason, "True… That is if he finds out."

"If I didn't have to put my initials next to my vote, he probably wouldn't… But, besides that, I didn't want it to look like I'm doing it as a favor because of Will giving me that sailboat as a gift you know? So, I picked one at random… Hopefully it's Chelsea's… I can't really remember it's color too well…"

I turned the clipboard around and tapped at an blank line.

"Put your number here and your initials next to it please," I instructed to him.

He wrote down the number and signed his initials next to it.

"There! Now, I'm off! See ya later Julia," he said with a quick wave, leaving the booth.

As soon as he left, others came behind the booth, forming an line.

"_This is going to take a bit of time…_"

* * *

The last person finally voted, and my mom was right behind them.

"Finished mom?"

She nodded her head.

"I think it's time for the 'Vigor' part of the contest. So, contestants…!" she brought her attention to the contestants, and gaining their attention, "Please go to your horse and stand next to it. The 'Vigor' part will start in a few moments."

They nodded their heads in unison and each contestant left to stand by their horse.

Mom looked back at me, "So, you think everyone voted?"

"Yeah, at least I hope so…"

"Well let's hope then, because it's time to close that part of the contest."

She turned towards the crowd, cupping her hands over her mouth, "The 'Popularity' section is now closed! We will begin the 'Vigor' part of the contest momentarily!"

Mom looked back at me, "Julia, I would like for you to get the people organized. We're going to need the room for the horses to run around for this part. Also, if you see Vaughn, let him know it's time to set up the lines and to have the little fences ready as well."

"Okay! I'll get to that right now!"

I came from around the booth and immediately started to tell people to move closer to the bridge or along the edges of the whole meadow. While doing so, I found Vaughn, being his usual grumpy self (I think he was glaring at someone).

"Vaughn, mom said to-"

"I already know what I need to do. I'll get on it, you just do _your_ part."

Well, since that's done, then I'll finish my own part.

It didn't take long to organize the rest of the crowd. Once that was done, I then looked around the meadow, and Vaughn did do his part. I could clearly see a white line. That one line being the start and finish line. The racing track itself was circular, being in the shape of the meadow. My mom was looking at it as well, nodding her head in approval.

"_She's ready to start… I wonder which horses will go against each other…_"

My mom faced the now organized crowd, "It is now time to start the 'Vigor' part! Contestants, when your number is called, please bring your horse to the start line! Remember, your competitor is random and there are two rounds!"

She then grabbed a wooden box off of the booth, shook it once, and then reached an hand into the open hole. She pulled out a slip of paper.

"First up is… Competitor number 3!"

"_That's Chelsea!_"

I looked around for Chelsea's horse and her. When I found her, she was just getting onto the back of her horse. Once she was settled, she rode her horse, Dash, to the start/finish line.

Mom then pulled out another number. I hoped that she would have an easy opponent to race against…

"And your opponent is… Competitor number 4!"

"_Now what are the chances of that?_"

It didn't take long for Will's horse to appear on the line, beside Chelsea.

"_This should be good!_" I thought with excitement.

Truthfully, I don't know who would win… Would it be Will or Chelsea? Since Chelsea is my best friend, I decided to, of course, support her.

"Competitor number 3 is Chelsea, from our own island, Mills' Ranch!" my mom yelled to the crowd, explaining who she is.

"Competitor number 4 is Will, also from our island!"

"_What? He didn't write where he is from…? I have to wonder why…_"

Though, maybe he didn't because he doesn't like his hometown…?

"_It could be something else altogether…_" my conscience stated.

It does seem a little awkward… I'll see if I can get an answer from him sometime in the future…

I could see Will saying something to Chelsea. I couldn't make a word of it, being too far unfortunately. But, it must have been something nice, I saw her face redden a little…

"Ready…!" my mom started.

Chelsea and Will made their horses more aligned with the white line.

"Set…!"

Chelsea bent her back forward a little, while Will straighten his back, gripping something a little tighter.

"GO!"

From my view, they seemed to both have started at the same time. They were still beside one another, both at equal speed!

"GO CHELSEA!" I cheered with all of my might.

I couldn't tell, but I think I saw Chelsea grin. And just like that, her horse gained a little more speed, being ahead (literally) of Will's horse!

Her horse was coming to the turn, where I stood, along with many others behind me, Will still being a few steps behind.

Her horse made the turn, and then Will made his turn not too long after.

But then, Chelsea's horse stopped its running on the path. This gave Will's horse time to run by it, while Chelsea's horse turned around and it was running… back?

"_What is it doing?_"

"Dash! What's wrong!" I heard Chelsea yell, obviously as confused as me with her horse's actions.

The horse was running at full speed too, towards… me?

Chelsea was still trying to get it under control, but it kept its running course. I could see Will stop his horse, turning it around to try to help. I think I saw Vaughn running as well towards the commotion.

Now, I have been trained to not panic when a horse goes a little crazy, but the people around me _aren't_ trained. They did what comes naturally to them when there is the possibility of danger— they panicked.

People around me were pushing me, trying to get out of the horse's path. I tried to calm the crowd down.

"People! It's going to be okay! The situation will be—"

I didn't get to finish, as some idiot pushed me down, purposely or not, I still hit the ground pretty hard… I landed on my back, face up. Fortunate for my face, I don't need mud on it…

"JULIA! MOVE!" I heard Vaughn yell.

Unfortunately for me, I was in the path of the horse's hooves— and they were right above my face…

"JULIA! MOVE DAMN IT!"

"_I can't…!_"

I just saw the black hooves come down to my face… I heard the crunch sound first, before the pain took over my face…

* * *

**Vaughn's POV**

I _just_ made it to where Julia was at. Unfortunately, I didn't make it on time to do anything... I heard the sickening crunch sound…

"_Shit! I have no choice now!_"

I quickly untied the rope I had on my belt, getting ready to lasso it around the horse's neck.

"_I have to stop it before it stomps an second time!_"

At that exact moment, before the horse could stomp its hooves down a second time, Denny made his way to where Julia was at and managed to move her out of the way, without getting himself or her hurt (I'll thank him later).

I could hear someone screeching, hopefully trying to calm the crowd down (sounds like Lanna). I ignored my own ears ringing from the sound, trying to focus on calming the horse down.

"_It needs to be still!_"

As if my thoughts were read, Will made his own horse block Chelsea's, from moving any further. However, it was still out of control, trying it's best to go around Will's horse. Chelsea was still on its back, holding on to its neck for her life.

I took a chance, swinging the loop of the rope around its neck. Once it was around its neck, I pulled on it with all of the strength I had. It was being resistant of course, and it was a lot stronger than me, I could feel my boots sliding against the dirt. I pulled on the rope harder, and tried to force my body weight to just my feet (is that possible?).

"Calm down Dash…! I'm not going to hurt you…!"

I felt my arms begin to ache, I felt like they were locked in that position. I don't think I can keep this up for long…

Fortunately, the horse began to calm down, though I could hear it breathing heavily, and neighing a little in protest. Chelsea, somehow, was still on its back, still holding on to its neck tightly (luckily I didn't rope her hands).

With slow steps, I approached the horse, trying to not startle it. Luckily Will's horse was still in its path, blocking it from running off again.

"Easy Dash… Nobody is going to hurt you…" I said, as calmly as I could.

Taking only a few more steps, I finally reached him. I put my free hand on his on long nose, while the other still held the rope. I kept petting him as gently as I could.

Dash, although still a bit nervous, was calm enough for me to remove the rope. From my position, I looked up at Chelsea, "You're alright?"

She just nodded her head, her eyes still wide in shock.

"You think you can get down yourself or do you need help?"

"I… can get down myself…"

She kept her hands around Dash's neck, and swung one leg over before jumping off of its back. She staggered a little, but didn't fall. I carefully began to remove the rope from around its neck.

"Are you well Chelsea? Do you need to see an doctor?" Will asked her, as he got off of his own horse.

"I-I'm fine… I'm more worried about Julia," she said as she looked around to find where Denny and Julia went.

"We're over here!" Denny shouted.

We looked for the source of his voice. Denny managed to get Julia under one of the trees near the bridge, safe from the crowd when they _were_ on the move. I was right that Lanna was the one that calmed the crowd down, though most of them left (probably to never return).

I patted Dash's head once more, urging him to stay still, and then I went over to where Julia and Denny were- Chelsea and Will were behind me.

Chelsea ran past me to reach her first, kneeling beside her, as Julia was sitting up on the ground. Aunt Mirabelle was there as well, trying to calm Julia's hysterical wailing. I don't think she'll stop anytime soon; I'm sure the pain is excruciating, if the sound I heard before indicated anything…

As for Julia, she covered her face with both hands, refusing to move them… So, her cries were muffled, at least a little.

"Excuse me! I need to get through! Doctor on the way!" I heard Dr. Trent yell from not far behind me.

He appeared by Julia's side within seconds, kneeling down to her level, "Julia… I need you to remove your hands from your face so that I can see the damages… Would you please do that for me?"

Julia in answer shook her head, still crying through them. I heard him sigh, a little frustrated it seemed.

"Will you let me look at it at your home then?"

Julia didn't answer with words or her head movements. Aunt Mirabelle gently took her arm and pulled her up.

"I'll guide her to the house… Dr. Trent, just follow us, if you don't mind…"

He nodded his head and said, "I need to go to the Hotel to get some medical supplies for any possible injuries she might have… If there is anything you think I should bring, please call me at the Hotel… I'll arrive at your home in an hour with my supplies."

At that, he patted Julia's arm gently, and turned away to go to the Hotel.

"Come on Julia. Just follow the pull of my arm, okay?"

Julia just nodded her head, being careful to keep her face covered. Aunt Mirabelle looked at me, "Vaughn… If you don't mind, I need you to—"

"I'll straighten out everything here… Don't worry about it…" I told her.

She nodded her head in thanks, and began to escort Julia home.

"Can I come?" Chelsea asked Aunt Mirabelle, before she went off too far.

"Of course you can. I'm sure she'll appreciate your company…"

Chelsea immediately followed them.

I turned to look around the meadow, seeing how much work I had to do… Apparently a lot…

The people that were left, they began to leave as well. Two people in that small crowd caught my attention, more on their words.

"This is the second time that an animal contest has been called off! Both of them having something strange going on! I'm not coming back to this crazy island until something has been done! The people here are irresponsible! With crazy horses and sick chickens!" an very angry person shouted.

"I can't help but agree with you. I think I'll stick to the contests in my own hometown. Forget recognition, I'll stick to being average over _this_ madness… Though, I can't help but wonder what the Animal Corporation is doing… If they sent anyone here from there, they're not doing their job…"

Even though I wanted to trip the second guy, I couldn't help but agree silently… I'm _not_ doing my job… At least, not as well as I should be doing it…

"So… What's going to happen?" Denny asked from beside me, I didn't even know he was there.

I shook my head at him, not being able to answer, not wanting to answer at the moment. I heard him let out a sigh.

"He's not wrong you know… about less people coming to the island I mean… I've been kind of noticing it… There use to be loads of ships coming to the island at an time… But now, I see maybe three ships a week… Less people are coming around here… Soon, people will be leaving from here…"

I gave him a quick look, "You're thinking about leaving?"

Denny shook his head at my question.

"Nah! I still have loads to catch here! Besides, if I leave, no more free rides on the mini-sub!"

I couldn't help but scowl at his idiotic reason, he just chuckled.

"Well… I'll be seeing you around Vaughn… If there is anything you think I can help with… Just let me know…" he said, as he turned and left, going across the bridge with Lanna beside him.

My mind went back to what the guy said about me not doing my job. I slid my hand over the lower part of my mouth, and let out an frustrated groan.

"_What should I do…? What the __hell__ should I do?_"

* * *

**Elliot's POV**

"Mom, I think that's enough wrapping my arm. I don't think I need any more on it…"

Mom wrapped _another_ layer on my right arm anyway, before she gently put my newly wrapped arm back into its sling.

"_That's_ better! Are you in any pain?" she asked me.

I shook my head in answer.

"Good! Now I'll be setting up some food in—"

The ringing sound throughout the house startled me, and it just surprised my mom.

"Who could that be?" mom asked herself.

She stood up from my bed and left the shared 'bedroom' area, heading into the kitchen where the only phone rested. I quickly stood up from my bed (difficult to do with no arms to help me) and ran up to the open doorway. I stuck my head out, hoping to listen to the conversation that my mom will have…

"Hello? Who's calling? Yes, this is where Elliot lives… How can I—… Well, for something like that, I'll get him over to the phone. Give me a moment please."

I quickly ducked my head back into the shared 'bedroom'.

"_I hope mom didn't see me eavesdropping…_"

"Elliot! The phone is for you!"

"Coming!"

I came from inside the 'bedroom', running into the kitchen area, and stopped in front of my mom.

"Yes?"

"The phone is for you… Will you be able to hold it?"

"Eh… Just put the phone against my shoulder and I'll use my neck and shoulder to hold it still."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes mom, I'll be fine."

"Okay... If you say so…"

She did as I asked, holding the phone against my shoulder and I supported it with my neck. She didn't leave until she thought the phone was balanced enough. I didn't speak into the phone until she was out of sight, in the bedroom… Not that she can't hear if I talk loud enough…

"Hello?"

"Elliot…! I thought I wouldn't get you on the phone, but it worked!"

I almost sputtered his name aloud in surprise, getting us caught.

"M-Mark…! What are you doing calling me! Do you have _any_ idea what my mom will do if she finds out that you're— not someone else!" I whispered to him as loud as I could.

"I know! But, I really had to tell you about Julia!"

Usually when I hear her name, I feel all warm inside- to the pits of my stomach and I feel my heart flutter, at least a little… But, hearing her name now, I felt dread…

"What about Julia? Is… everything okay?" I asked, almost above a whisper.

I heard Mark sigh on the other side, "No… She's— hurt Elliot… I didn't have the chance to see what the injuries are… But, I don't think it's good… I just wanted to let you know… Is it possible for you to go see her?"

I pressed the side of my neck and ear against the phone harder. I swallowed an lump, even though I felt like screaming.

"I… How did it happen?"

"… If I tell you, you'll start believing your mom…"

"What…? Just tell me… Please…"

He sighed on the other line, but he gave in.

"Okay… During the racing part of the horse competition… She was ran over by… Dash… The horse Chelsea was riding…"

If I was holding the phone, I would have gripped it until my knuckles turned white and bled.

I wanted to yell at Mark, blame him for _everything_. That it's _his_ fault for not working hard enough at the farm. It's _his_ fault for hiring her. It's _his_ fault for only interviewing the first person that called. It's _his_ fault for not wanting to fire her just because he _likes_ her!

But… I couldn't do it… I just can't…

"_Can I really blame him for all of this? Or should I blame… Chelsea?_"

I couldn't decide…

"I… Thank you for telling me… I'll find a way to see her…" I said as calmly and as nicely as I could, while trying to control my body from shuttering in anger.

"Okay… Will you be okay?"

"I'll be fine… Just let me try to find a way out of this house… I can do it…"

"If you say so… I'll see you around— eventually…"

He hung up the phone first, neither of us saying goodbye. I could hear the dial tone on the other end.

"Elliot? Are you done talking on the phone?" I heard my mom ask from behind me.

"Yes… Can you please hang it up for me?"

The phone was taken away from my shoulder and neck and it was put back on the receiver.

"So, what did you and your old high school buddy uh… Jack, talk about?"

"_Jack? Was that the name he gave mom? Luckily mom doesn't know I didn't know any Jack's back in high school… Although… How am I going to explain the conversation?_"

I decided to try to change the topic, "Hey mom… Can I go see Julia?"

"No," she answered, almost immediately.

"Nice try Elliot! But if I'm not allowed to see Pierre, then you're not allowed to see Julia!" Natalie yelled from the 'bedroom'.

I hid the disappointing frown.

"_I have to come up with something else…_"

Mom turned away from me, getting things ready in the kitchen… And an idea formed in my head… I didn't like what I was about to do, but I have no choice…

"_I'm sorry Chelsea… Forgive me for doing this, but I need to see her…_"

"Mom… The person on the phone wasn't Jack… That was Mark…"

She stopped what she was doing. I couldn't tell what her expression was, but I kind of don't want to know…

"Really…? Hmmm… Next time I'll ask more questions…" she commented, going back to what she was doing, working more quickly I noticed.

"He told me that Julia got hurt at the horse competition… Do you want to know how she got hurt, mom?"

She again stopped what she was doing, being very still, listening…

"_Almost got her… Just another push…_"

"She was ran over by an horse… Chelsea was riding the horse…"

As I thought, _that_ caught my mom's attention.

She turned to look at me, her frown now evident.

"I told Mirabelle that she was trouble! She should have convinced Mark to fire that girl! But did she listen to me! No! Of course she didn't! And now look what happens! Who's crazy now!"

I winced at my mom's words. They came out in a rush- making her seem, well, crazy…

Without saying anything to me, she walked past me. Not too long after, I heard the front door open and slammed shut.

I sighed in relief that she took the course of action that I wanted her to do… Now I can—

"Whoa Elliot…! I _never_ expected something like that from _you_."

I winced at Natalie's words. I know I'll feel guilty later, but now is not the time to be feeling guilty.

Natalie rolled her wheelchair out of the 'bedroom' area and appeared in front of me.

"I didn't think you would put the blame for Julia's injury on Chelsea! Ehmm, if Grandpa was up, he'll die of an heart attack!"

"Please… Be quiet Natalie… I had no choice…"

"Sure you didn't… Where are you going anyway? I _know_ you're not planning to leave the house, are you?"

"She didn't say that we couldn't leave the house today."

"But she did say that you can't see Julia."

"_She has me there…_"

I decided to ignore Natalie. I got as close as I could to the door and put an hand on the handle of the doorknob. I was about to open it, but Natalie interrupted me.

"You know… Once you step out that door… You won't be the same 'everything Elliot says is always the truth. He never lies. He's the good boy!' After this… You'll be something else… Are you sure you want to be— like me?"

Now that she mentioned it, this does seem like something Natalie would do… Not me…

"_Now or never…_"

I opened the door as much as I could, kicking it open the rest of the way. And I left the house… Without looking back…

"_I have to hurry… Don't worry about the guilt now… I'll worry about it later…_"

I quickly ran over to the Animal Shop, luckily it was just next door.

I stopped in front of the window, and I looked in. My mom was talking to Mirabelle, who was blocking the entrance to the kitchen/bedroom of the shop. I couldn't hear what was being said.

I was about to put my ear against the window, to see if I could hear better, but then I saw my mom turn away. I quickly ducked away from the window and pressed my back against the wall under it. The door to the shop opened, and of course, my mom walked out.

I made my back push harder against the wall, hoping to become invisible to her.

She walked a little forward and stopped, just standing there on the path.

"_Please don't turn around… Please don't turn around…_"

Mom then turned a little, and walked along the path… Back to the house…

I didn't sigh in relief until she was back inside of the house.

"_I have to act quickly! She's going to notice I'm not home sooner or later!_"

I pushed myself off of the wall and turned to open the door. I managed to open the door, and I walked in… Before I entered, from the corners of my eyes, I saw Vaughn on the path… He obviously saw me too; he looked surprised to see me… He should be…

He wouldn't be the only one, as Mirabelle looked surprised to see me as well when I entered. She was still standing at the open doorway of the kitchen/bedroom of the shop.

"Elliot! Oh my… What are you doing here?" she asked me, though she didn't seemed bothered by my company.

"I came by to see Julia… Can I see her?" I asked as I just stopped in front of her.

"Well…"

She looked behind herself for a moment before she looked back at me.

"I guess you can…"

I nodded my head to her in thanks and walked around her to enter the kitchen/bedroom area.

I saw Chelsea first. She was sitting on a stool, beside the bed where… And then I saw _her_…

As much as I wanted to rush towards her, hug her (at least try to), and talk nonstop to her… I had to be quick and make my time as valuable as possible. This might be the only time I'll see her in awhile…

"Julia… It's me, Elliot… Are you okay?"

Chelsea moved her stool out of the way, giving me room to sit on the bed, beside Julia… For some reason, Julia covered her face with both of her hands.

"Julia… Are you okay?"

She shook her head in answer, but kept her hands over her face.

"Julia… Will you remove your hands from your face?"

She shook her head in answer again.

"Why not?"

I heard a sob come from between her hands.

"Pl-Please Elliot… Please go… You're the _last_ person I want to see me like this…"

"Like what Julia? I don't understand…"

I _don't_ understand. She looked fine to me… I figured she came out of the accident injury free, and that Mark was mistaken.

"_I did that for nothing…_"

"Please Elliot… Don't make me show you… Please?"

"Julia… I won't be here long, so please… Just let me know that you're alright… I want to see you… _All_ of you…"

I heard another sob escape from her.

"Elliot! You _don't_ understand! I'm… I'm…"

She caught me by surprise when she removed her hands from her face… No… She caught me by surprise _twice_.

Her face… Her face was bruised, very badly. She had a large bump on her forehead, and a purple-blackish bruise forming on the forehead, expanding to the eye it looked liked… It was beginning to swell. There was also an imprint of an _hoof_ print it looked like…

On the lower side of her face, around her mouth, there was a bruise there as well, the same purple-blackish color. An hoof print was there too, though a little smaller. Her nose, I noticed, looked bent, maybe it went a little inward… It could be broken… It _looked_ broken…

"I'M _**UGLY**_!" She screamed in my face.

She then buried her face into her knees and hands, crying much louder than before.

"Julia…"

Even though I could feel her pain, I was a little confused…

"_She… She doesn't get it yet…?_"

I turned my head, looking at the stove where a pot rested atop of it. I smiled as an memory came to me.

"Julia… Do you remember that time when you were behind with work and I offered to help you?_**(4)**_"

I turned to look back at her, to see her response. She still had her face in her hands on top of her knees, but she wasn't crying anymore at least.

"You blamed yourself that you were behind with work, and that you didn't deserve my help because it was all of your fault…"

This time, she nodded her head, but she still kept her face hidden from view.

"You know… If you compare that day to now… Well, I can say that you have worked so much harder Julia. Even with your cooking…"

I then realized that what I said might be taken as an offensive statement than as a comment.

"Not that I think it's bad! I actually _love_ your cooking!" I quickly said.

I'm not sure, but I thought I heard her giggle a little behind her hands. I sighed in relief.

"You just never seemed to give up Julia. Even when things look bad, you still kept trying to do your best… Your enthusiasm always encouraged me to try harder too, no matter how much Natalie or anyone else made fun of my screw-ups… You always saw the more positive side of the situation, of my situations too… Never the bad…"

I saw her move a few of her fingers to the side, making me see one of her striking azure eyes. My smile widened a little.

"To this day Julia… I will always see that same Julia; hardworking, encouraging, and optimistic… No matter _what_ you look like, you'll _always_ be the same Julia to me," I said to her, in all sincere.

I meant every word. I _always_ saw Julia for who she was, never for what she looked like. I will admit that her beauty intimidated me, because I thought she would be… well, too good for me… I mean, if I look at myself, I can't help but admit that it doesn't look right when we're put side by side…

She removed her hands from her face, looking at me. I saw tears roll down her cheeks.

"You… You really mean that Elliot?"

I nodded my head, "Of course I do Julia… Every word of it…"

The tears came faster and she bit her bottom lip, she really _baffled_ me.

"Di-did I say something wrong?" I quickly asked her, hoping I can fix what I said.

She suddenly wrapped her arms around my arms (tightly) and began sobbing uncontrollably.

"Oh Elliot…! You made me _so_ happy!"

"I-I'm glad Julia! Bu-But you're hurting my arms…!"

She quickly let go of me, her face turning a little red in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt your arms…"

"It's okay, I'll live..!"

She smiled at me, no longer crying. Although I could still see the trail of where the tears traveled.

Mirabelle appeared beside me and she patted my back lightly.

"Thank you Elliot… You are _exactly_ the way I have predicted."

She then looked at Julia, giving her a smile.

"You have chosen well Julia... I am _very_ proud of you."

"_Uh… chosen?_"

Even though her words were a little strange to me, I couldn't help but feel— _happy_ for some reason… Is it approvable? I can hope…

"Julia…"

Me and Julia looked towards Chelsea, who was standing now.

"I think I'll go, if you don't mind that is…"

Julia nodded at her, "Thanks for trying to calm me down Chelsea and just for being here… It was— nice of you…"

"You're welcome… Listen… I'm really—"

"Don't apologize… It wasn't your fault… Something must have startled Dash…"

"Well… I wanted to anyway…"

Chelsea turned to leave, but then she stopped for some reason.

"Julia… Do you mind if I borrow that perfume you have?"

"Of course! In fact, you can have it, I don't need it anymore."

I saw Chelsea grab an glass perfume bottle from the kitchen/bedroom table and then she disappeared into the shop part to leave.

Julia gave me a wider smile, "Thank you for the perfume by the way Elliot. It was really sweet of you."

"_Perfume? I never gave her any perfume… Did I?_"

I went through my memory, seeing if I did give her perfume at some point in time. But, I couldn't recall giving her any…

"_Hmmm… I better not bring it up… I might make her upset…_"

"Yo-You're welcome Julia!" I said, even if it was a small lie.

"_Even if I might get into trouble… I think I'll stay as long as I can… It's worth it!_"

* * *

**Vaughn's POV**

I was outside of the shop, leaning against the wall. Unfortunately for me, I heard everything that was said inside…

Before I could give more thought to what was said, Chelsea walked out of the shop.

"_Just the person I needed to see…_"

I waited for her to notice me. She gave me a small wave when she did, along with one of her— smiles…

"Hey Vaughn… What are you doing out here?"

She then looked at the window that was near me. The window would have a clear view of the kitchen/bedroom area inside.

She looked back at me, "W-Were you listening to what was said inside?"

I deliberately ignored the question.

"Chelsea… You know what I was _supposed_ to do last time this happened, right?"

I saw her eye wince, before she looked down at the ground.

"You're talking about the chicken festival, aren't you…?"

"What else would I be asking about?"

She sighed, "I… know…"

There was silence from her after that. I wouldn't be surprised if she was debating with herself…

"What do you want me to do?" I asked her.

She looked up, clearly surprised, if her widen eyes indicated anything.

"Wh… What?"

"I'm asking you… What do you want me to do?"

"I don't… Well, I would like for you to _not_ take Dash away, if that is what you are asking…"

I gave my own sigh, "I figured you would say that… You're going to cost me my job one day… This one is going to be a little more difficult to hide from my boss… And if he finds out…"

"If your job is in jeopardy Vaughn, then I rather for you to take Dash and any other animals you think should be taken… I don't want you to lose your job, especially one that you love to do…"

"Please… Don't try to send me on some guilt trip," I said, I think my eye twitched as well.

She didn't understand what I meant, of course she didn't!

"Anyway, I'm not taking Dash away… There's no room for him anyway…"

She smiled at that. Sometimes I have to wonder if she does these things purposely to me…

"_However_, I do suggest you to take Dash to see a vet. Horses aren't startled so easily, neither do they stomp on people purposely… Something is… just not right with that… So, I need you to take him to one. When you do, bring me back the papers describing his conditions… I might be able to use that as an excuse of why I didn't take him away…"

She nodded her head in agreement, "I will! You can count on it!"

"Yeah, ye— what is that in your hand?"

"This? Julia's perfume I'm borrowing."

I scoffed in disgust, "That stuff smells _awful_! She had that on earlier, smelled like… I'm not sure, but it smelt awful to me. Don't even bother trying it on! Just… throw it away. And that's coming from me, I don't like things wasted, but _that_ is an exception."

"Wow… Does it smell that bad?"

"Well… Julia said she couldn't smell it too well… But, I'm telling you, it smells horrible!"

"Okay… I'll take your word for it. I'll throw it out later…"

I actually sighed in relief. Something about that perfume just makes me want to rip my nose off! _That_ is how bad it smelt to me!

"I'll see you later Vaughn…"

"See you…"

She continued her walk on the path, going back to her home…

I heard the door to the shop open, and Elliot appeared. The door closed behind him. He sighed, happily it looked like. He then turned, looking my way. It didn't take him long for his smile to become neutral. He gave me a polite wave anyway.

"H-Hello Vaughn… Er… How long have you've been standing there?"

"_Shouldn't have been standing here at all..._"

"Why?"

"Eh… Well… Never mind, forget I asked."

He turned to walk back home.

"Wait…" I told him.

He turned back around to face me, confusion on his face. It only took me a few strides to be in front of him. I looked down at his arms.

"_They do look broken…_"

Both his arms were definitely in slings… Unless he is faking, they looked damaged to me…

I extended my right arm to him, palm open, offering my hand for an handshake. He looked at my hand first, in surprise, before he looked up at me, and then back down at my hand.

I mentally rolled my eyes at him. Do I need to tell him what an handshake is?

Lucky for me, I didn't have to. He extended his arm, as far as he could (it looked painful for him), and shook my hand; a strong handshake too…

It didn't last long, though, he gave me a small smile and said, "Thanks Vaughn…I'll… be seeing you sometime in the future too…"

Then he turned away to go back home…

I looked at him for a moment, and then I turned to look down the path Chelsea took to go back to her home… And I couldn't help but wonder, at least a little…

"_Is he really a coward… Or am I?_"

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**LATER THAT EVENING…**

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**Chelsea's POV**

I was still trying to figure out why Vaughn was the only one that could smell it… As far as I know anyway…

"_Even I can't really smell anything. I mean, something is there, but I can't smell what he smells… What is it!_"

I squeezed the squirter again, and waited for the mist to disappear. I gave the air a sniff, as I have done countless times before. But, like before, I didn't smell anything.

"_This is just weird… What perfume doesn't have a smell?_"

And then, just like that, I had a bizarre idea.

"_I can… __taste__ it… I mean, probably not a wise decision, but it's all I have…_"

I turned the neck of the perfume bottle, glad that it can be removed. I put the top onto the top of my table. Picking up the bottle itself, I tipped it to its side, careful to not spill the liquid. I put an finger into it, letting only a little of the liquid touch the tip of my finger.

I quickly took my finger out and brought it to my mouth before I could change my mind.

"_Hmmm! This tastes like… carrots…!_"

Strange… Why would…

I felt like an train hit me, as the answer came to me.

"_Vaughn was able to smell it, because he can't stand the smell of carrots! Wow…He really does have a sensitive nose… Can't bring any type of carrots close to him!_"

I felt my heart begin to ache, from fear.

"_Somebody did this purposely… This was no accident…_"

To make sure I was right, I wanted to be sure of one more thing…

I stood up from my seat at the table and ran over to the bookshelf where my cellphone rested. I quickly went through my contacts, pressing the 'Send' button. I put it against my ear, hearing the ringing on the other side.

"_Come on… Pick up…_"

I heard the ringing end, and someone yawning (loudly) on the other side.

"Hello?"

"He-Hey Mark… I'm sorry for calling a little late, but I really wanted to ask you something…."

"It's okay. If you have a question, go ahead and ask!" he said, sounding more awake and cheerful a little.

"You know that Fall is coming up soon, right?"

"Yes…"

"Well… One of the crops you plant are carrots… And I was just wondering if I can give some to Dash…"

I heard Mark sigh on the other end, disappointed it seemed…

"Yes, you can give Dash carrots. But, you have to be a little careful because he does get— excited when he sees or even smells carrots..."

That was the _exact_ information I wanted to know.

"Really? What happens when he smells a carrot?"

"Well, the _last_ time I gave him an carrot, he almost ran me over! That's how excited he gets when there is a carrot around! Dash does have a sensitive nose, I think he can smell one a mile away!" Mark said with a small chuckle.

I wanted to know who else knew about Dash's carrot obsession, but I didn't know how to word the question… Plus, I don't want Mark be suspicious, especially if I ask too many questions…

"Um… Chelsea… While I have you on the phone… I was just wondering… You know about the Hanabi Taikai_**(5)**_ this Saturday, right?"

"No. I haven't really been looking at the calendar lately… Why?"

"Well… I was just wondering if it was possible for us to go together! We can go right after work, find an empty space, and wait while we play a few board games or something…!"

"I think it's a great idea… But, I think I'll go alone, or sit with Julia… I think she'll need my company… You understand, right Mark?"

There was silence on his end. I thought he hung up the phone, making me about to do the same. But, I then heard him chuckle a little, nervously I noticed…

"Well, it's okay… I have to go to 'Forget-Me-Not Valley' anyway… Carter wanted to see me about those lithographs, along with any extras I found in the mine… So, I'll be out on that day…"

"Do you need me to do your work?"

"N-No…! I'll have it done before then this time. I want you to—have a good time without any worries…"

"Okay, if you insist Mark…"

"Goodnight Chelsea… I'll see you around…"

"Goodnight Mark…"

I heard the phone click on his side, and then I closed the cellphone. I put it back on the bookshelf and walked over to the calendar. I glanced at the dates. Mark was right, the Hanabi Taikai is this Saturday…

"_You know… It is an good idea… I think I'll go alone…_"

I looked back at the table, where the opened perfume bottle rested.

"_Anything to get my mind off of these— events…_"

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_

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**AUTHOR'S COMMENTS/NOTES**

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**(1) **_Trouble_: For those of you that read the 'Lost Years of Merlin' series, by T.A. Barron, would know that the hawk in the story name is Trouble; which is where I got this name from. Feel free to read the series.

**(2)** _to rope rot…_: You have to remember that Taro found Elliot at night on the beach. Also, he is old, and his eyesight isn't the same. He wouldn't notice the rope being cut. Not to mention, if you saw someone you loved hurt on the ground, would you really be concerned with the rope around the box or would you go and help your loved one? That is what happened here; he was more concerned with Elliot's safety then about some rope. So, Chelsea is the only one that knows about the _true_ crime behind it.

**(3)** _Omen_: Refer back to chapter 3. If you must, reread it— carefully…

**(4)** _were behind with work and I offered to help you?_: This is referred to the game. The first heart event (Black) between Elliot and Julia.

**(5)** _Hanabi Taikai_: Literally means, in kanji form, 'fire flower'. Hanabi though, not in literal terms, means fireworks. This is a real festival that takes place in Japan in different areas, usually during the summer. It's a very large event and is usually _packed_ full of people. The earlier you arrive, the more of a chance you'll find a seat. The later you arrive; there is a much lesser chance of you finding a seat. And no, the event isn't/doesn't have to be romantic _at all_! I know in the game that it seems to be just a romantic event, but it's not. You can go by yourself, and you can dress up (not required) for it as well! Women and men can wear a Yukata (Kimono); for their own gender of course! If you happen to be in Japan, make sure you participate in this event! You won't regret it!

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[**POLL IS STILL UP!**] I bet you noticed that the numbers are first before my comments. This is for those of you that are not interested in my chattering, but would like to know the number information. I'll most likely go back to previous chapters and fix this. That way, you can leave right after, if you're not interested in what I have to say of course!

Happy (belated) anniversary! This is the second year of this story being around! YAY! It's two years old! *Tear*, my little baby is growing up! XD I wanted to release this chapter on September 11th, which is the day this story was released to the public (you guys). But, I was caught up with college work and things of the like…

Anyway, I won't give you any excuses of why I didn't update sooner, as you already know what they are by now. So instead, I'll talk about this chapter…

Before I do that, I would like _**anyone**_ to answer this question for me… If you have my story on your alert list, and I fix my story, do you receive an update about it? In other words, if I go back and fix previous chapters for grammar, spelling etc. errors, will you receive a notice about it? I need to know, because I want to fix the story in a few places, mostly concerning grammar. But, I don't want to do it if it keeps bugging you (constantly), filling up your inbox with useless junk.

Well, I know this chapter seemed to focus more on Julia and Elliot then the others (Chelsea and Vaughn), but, I had to make this happen. Otherwise, well, Vaughn wouldn't learn from this :p I know Julia isn't really injured. I wasn't going for that; I was just trying to make her— well, 'less attractive' if I must use those words. To cause the scenes that you read above. I haven't been around the Harvest Moon section (I'm catching up with my BLEACH FF reading), so I don't know if someone beat me to this idea or not… I really hope nobody has, as I had this idea/chapter ready for quite some time… If so… All well, my fault for being slow…

Another thing you might have noticed is that the 'Quick 'Q' From Review(s)' isn't here. I am **not** doing this to ignore your comments/reviews; I am doing this because I want a more accurate word count of my story. Although, if there is a question that is important or I think should be mentioned here, then I will display the question and answer here. Also, I will answer each review individually through the PM/review system; unless your review is anonymous, I can't reply back to it (sorry!). 'BONUSES' will still appear, but, don't be surprised if they are moved as well sometime in the future. For more information about this, please refer back to the 'Before You Read' page… Hmm… It seems to me that the info. page is getting a little long there… I will have to fix that…

_Another_ thing you should have noticed is that the title of this story looks like this:

ӇдⱤѵЄϛҭ ҦΦΦȠ: Iϛɭдηȡ Φʄ DЄϛϸдɨⱤ

First of all, I would like to mention that I was messing around with something, and I seemed to have pasted that in the title area on the site… As you can see, I decided to keep it… _However_, I will bring the text back to normal if the title is hard to read and/or not good to your eyes. If you think it should go back to normal, just let me know by reviewing/PMing me, and I'll change it back. I like it, sure, but it's not good if you guys can't read it. I'll just keep it in the 'Before You Read' page area.

Remember, the poll is still up! It's a blind poll and the results are invisible to _you_, but _not to me_. Of course, I will not tell you what they are so far… I am, I admit, intrigued with the results though… The names that are listed are the characters names along with a 'title' for each. For most serial killers, a title name is given to them. Such as 'Jack the Ripper', that's a title name… The selections, at this time are (not in any order):

⇨ Lanna ('The Siren')

⇨ Sabrina ('Blood Diamond')

⇨ Julia ('The Beautiful')

⇨ Pierre ('The Cannibal')

⇨ Alisa ('The Fateful Nun')

⇨ Vaughn ('The Cowboy Assassinator')

⇨ Chelsea ('The Devil Rancher')

⇨ The Omen is at fault (Chelsea is just being paranoid)

⇨ Denny ('The Stinger')

⇨ Will ('Blue Blood')

⇨ Witch Princess (The Witch ; obviously)

⇨ Shea ('Savagery')

⇨ kitty8688/kitty8688 the only (WHAT! No sugar cookies for you! D:)

⇨ Mark ('The Krubi')

⇨ It's two of the following on the list; they're working together

Notice my name is up there. If you pick my name, well, you wouldn't really be incorrect, but I guess you can say it's an 'I don't know (IDK)' answer (and you get no sugar cookies XD). And no, I'm not in the story. Are you crazy! Would I literally hurt myself! Well, okay, I can see myself as a bad guy, but, I'm not in this story… So, technically, I'm not doing any of those things to the characters XD

Whichever you choose, the results will not be shown until the chapter _before_ the revealing… At least, that is how I plan it…

If you think it's someone else, feel free to let me know either by PM and/or reviewing, and I'll add that person's name to the list. If you can also come up with a 'title' name for them as well, that would be great too! And no, you can't add your own name/username to the list, only me XD

The title names that each character has, if you can guess what each of them _might_ mean, feel free to do that too. I mean, there is _a lot_ you can do with that poll. What happens if you do? You get— a pat on the back… What! I don't have any money! XD But, seriously, you can give yourself a pat on the back for being— well, a detective!

Also… I'm beginning to notice that I have _many_ secret readers, going by my visitor count that is (_**not**_ hit count)… Are you trying to make me solve this mystery too? XD I think figured out who a few of you are, but the rest of you… Well, I have a little ways to go!

Before I end these long comments/notes here, I thought I bring up a question that a reviewer asked that I think should be brought to everyone's attention:

**Question:** … _Though, I do want to ask a few questions. One, I have to wonder what happened to Mark? He sort of fadded out for a while, so I hope you bring him back! Second, (once again) I HAVE to wonder why no one outside the island questions the accedents, espically the Mayor. Okay, so maybe he's a greedy jerk, but still. Someone has to know that something is going on there. Third, to me, it seems like the Harvest Goddess would be a bit more conserned with everthing that has happened. I'm not the writer, but still. I have to wonder sometimes what's going through her head when something happens to someone..._

_From WolfCrystal_

**My Answer:** And you are on the dot! Concerning Mark that is… I am, purposely, making Mark fade into the background. I'm doing this slowly, but he is fading. Will he appear back into the story? Of course! He has another _major_ part to play in this story… It's just— not now… Don't worry, he has time… If anyone noticed, Will is sort of taking his place. Not by much, but he is; at least, until it is Mark's part in the story again.

For your second question… Hmm… Well, it is exactly as you wrote there. They are viewed as _accidents_. Truthfully, I want it to stay that way. I'm trying my best to make the disasters be viewable as accidents- which is a _little_ difficult. To me, I think I am doing a good job… At least, I hope so… To put it simply, I want it to be like horror movies. You know how the cops _always_ come at the _end_ of the movie after a whole bunch of crap happened? Well, that is what I am doing here… Or at least, I'm trying to keep it that way. At this time, I don't want nosy people in the story (aka, the 'good guys'). Otherwise, it'll screw up—a few parts of this story…

For your last question, you are correct that the Harvest Goddess would be more concerned with what is going on and _would_ try to do something… However, you have to remember that she can't see the future, for unknown reasons (to you anyway). Why is this important? Because, if she stops any bad events from happening; she doesn't know the consequences of her actions. Some of you might not think it's a bad idea, but messing with time _is_ a bad idea. For one life, there are many paths a person can take, even though they all reach the same ending eventually (death). However, depending on the path you take, the reactions or consequences to those actions would be different. Think of all of those times that you had to make a decision about something. Think about the choice you made, what would have happened if you picked the other choice? Where would that choice lead you? If you picked that other choice, would you be where you are now? You might not have an answer to that. That is the same (or similar) position the Harvest Goddess is in. If she makes a choice, what are the consequences? Would she really help the situation, or only make it worse? I don't even have an answer for that, as I didn't think of the other paths. I'm only focusing on the paths for this story. And if I did this right, they'll all end in the same path… Er… Not death in this case…

I hope I answered all of your questions. Thank you for asking, and for reviewing as well!

As for the next chapter, I already have it set up… But, it might take me a little time to finish it. It's not because I don't know what to write, as I do, but it's because the next chapter is very, _very_, _**VERY**_ important. If the next chapter doesn't come out correctly, well, the chapters after it will be disastrous! _**That**_ is how important the next chapter is. If you have read the numbers (fun facts), you might have an idea of what the next chapter is. If you think you have an idea of what the next chapter might be about, I don't want you getting your hopes up _too_ high about the relationship between two certain characters. But, I will say that it will be a turning point for them… You can decide, when the time comes, if the turning point is good or bad.

_One_ more note… I might also be distracted a bit… Besides schoolwork, the new Harvest Moon game for DS (Harvest Moon: The Twin Villages; Bokujo Monogatari: Futago no Mura (牧場物語 ふたごの村) came out not too long ago! And of course, I am playing it! It is awesome! I am right now going for the bachelor Kiriku (キリク; possibly Kirk in English); he is my avatar at the moment. So… I might be distracted playing the game as well… Yeah… Sorry, but I'm a gamer at heart, I like to play them too! XD

That is all! Until next chapter!

_**THANK YOU ALL FOR REVIEWING (And to those that read anonymously)!**_


	21. Chapter 20, A Melody of Life

**NOTICE:** The song lyrics that were in this chapter have been removed. It was against the rules on FF net. I removed them to prevent my story from being deleted without warning. The lyrics that appeared in this chapter were a _little_ important, but not completely necessary for the story. If you want to read it with the lyrics, go here to download it (PDF file; remove the underscores (_)):

http_:/_/_kitty868theonly_._livejournal_._com_/_ 12289_._html

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**Chapter 20, A Melody of Life**

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**SUMMER 26TH – SATURDAY**

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**Chelsea's POV**

"I'm done!" I shouted into the opened roof of the animal barn, feeling satisfied with my work for the day.

I couldn't help but feel a little excited about all of the things I was going to do today.

I was determined to try to have a good time, to not think about any of the unfortunate events that happened on the island… for now…

"_I'll put it off for another night…_"

I left the barn, breaking into a run, going past Mark's crop filled field. All taken care of by him before he left.

"_I hope he'll have a safe trip, and have fun …_"

I kept running until I exit the property of the farm and appeared on the stony path. I went into a jog, stayed on the path, until I reached the front door of the Animal Shop. Just as I came up to it, the front door opened.

"Ready?" I asked, as soon as I realized who it was.

She turned to face me and smiled lightly. Her smile slowly faded, and I saw her light blue eyes go up and down. A small frown appeared along her still bruised face.

"Chelsea... You're going to the festival with your work clothes on still?"

I looked down at myself. Besides the random splotches on my short jeans and shirt, I thought I was tolerable in appearance.

"Yeah... why? Am I too messy you think?"

She shook her head and let out a 'tsk tsk'. Now that she commented on my own appearance, I took a second look at her own. She was wearing a white yukata with light blue flowers arranged on it. They seemed to make a twirl effect around her whole outfit, from the chest area to the legs.

"Well, I'm not going to bother you too much about it. Although, maybe you should take a shower at least and change your clothes."

I didn't have to look at myself again to agree with her suggestion, "Yeah, I think I'll go do that."

"In the meantime, I'll get the sheet and games ready. Do you think we might be a tad bit early?"

"Hey, we can go later when it's most likely crowded."

"That is, if it'll be crowded this year as the years before..."

I felt my eye twitch, as if I was in pain. Though, what Julia said was enough to tighten my heart, a ache in my chest.

"I hope not... I would like people to think more of the good then the bad..." I muttered in answer.

I saw her give me a look of concern, but she put on a light smile and shoved me lightly.

"Well get going! We want to get good seats! Even if it is on the grass!"

I nodded and turned away from Julia to run home to get ready for the firework's festival.

I just finished putting on a clean set of clothing. I did have my own yukata, but I didn't feel like wearing it. I wanted to wear something comfortable today, to relax, not a dress that could suffocate me- even if the designs on it are nice... and the bow...

I looked towards my rucksack, sitting on the table, unopened.

"Should I bring it or not?" I asked myself.

I decided to bring it, to carry any books I haven't read yet. I have a whole shelf of books, and I barely touched them. Quickly picking up my rucksack, I went to the bookshelf and threw in a random range of books I haven't read. I didn't bother looking at the titles, it'll be more of a surprise when I read one of them later.

Once that was done, I slung the rucksack on my back and turned to head out. I locked my door and checked my mailbox as I began to walk towards the Meadow, where the festival would take place.

As soon as I crossed the bridge, I could see how much room was left. There weren't many people around, just a few villagers here and there. A few were just settling in, while others were chatting away with their friends or their sweetheart. I was scanning the crowd looking for my blonde hair friend. She managed to find me first.

"I'm over here Chelsea!" she yelled.

Lucky there weren't many people at the Meadow, otherwise I wouldn't have heard her nor find her. I began to walk towards her, dodging others areas on the grass with great skill (although, I almost tripped once), until I reached her. Julia managed to pick a good spot. She picked a spot that would only be a few feet, if not less, away from where the fireworks would shoot off. I could see Gannon setting up the gear now. While Charlie and Eliza played some game, going around him in circles, distracting his work; but he didn't seem to mind, as he laughed with them. Chen also happened to be there, helping Gannon set up.

"Are you going to stand there all day Chelsea?" Julia asked me.

I let out a nervous laugh and sat down, embarrassed to be caught daydreaming a little. Not only did Julia have the sheet ready, a traditional red and white picnic cover, she had different board and non-board games out with a picnic basket beside the stack.

"Wow, you came prepared for this," I softly said, amazed by the sight.

"Well, actually Mom did. She thought it all out."

"Is she planning to come too?"

Julia began to remove the board games from on top of another, spreading them out to show me what they were.

"No, she said she wanted to catch up on work... though I'm not sure what that would be, I mean, we don't get many customers."

"Aren't the stores usually closed for things like this?"

Julia nodded her head in agreement as she laid the last game on the sheet.

"Well, I don't want to think about it! So, which game should we play first?"

I looked down at the different games available for us to play. There were games from Monopoly© to UNO©. These games should keep us busy for awhile...

"Mind if I join in on the fun?" someone asked as they rudely took a sit on our sheet.

Me and Julia was about to yell at the guy, but our anger quickly turned into smiles.

"Denny!" we said at the same time as he gave us a grin in return.

"Yo, what's up you two? Everything okay this morning?" he asked us as he changed sitting positions, trying to find a more comfortable pose.

"You're here awfully early. Lanna dragged you along?" Julia asked him.

"Nah! Came here out of my own free will! Besides, the fish weren't biting much. So, I'm here early! You guys still didn't answer my question."

"Of course you can join us Denny... Though, where is Lanna?" I asked him.

He let out a sigh and said, "She's not going to be here for another few hours. She takes a long time finding the perfect outfit and all. You know Lanna, the outfit has to 'speak' her nature."

Julia and I giggled at the gag expression he made. If Lanna ever found out, that expression on his face might become permanent.

His expression changed into one of concern, his eyes focusing on Julia- more on her face I realized.

"Are you really okay Julia? I mean... with what happened and all..."

Without a second thought, I saw Julia nod her head in assurance, full of confidence in her answer.

"I'm fine Denny. Thank you for asking," she replied with a smile.

Denny eyes lingered on her horribly bruised face, not being able to look away. I, too, shifted my eyes to look at her face.

Her face didn't have any makeup on to cover the bruises. They were still a fairly blue-purplish color. Denny or I are not the first to have stared at her face, nor would be the last, I'm sure. I have seen others glance at her face longer than necessary, or downright stare, not being subtle about it. Julia ignores the glances and stares, I _know_ she is aware of the looks she gets... and yet, she doesn't react in anger, embarrassment, or even shields her face by turning away from the viewer... She instead smiles and goes on with her day, as if everything is normal, going on her merry way happily...

"_She's so... brave... I wish I had as much confidence as she does..._"

I could hear my conscience silently telling me, trying to encourage me, that I am brave too; using the secret investigation that I do as a point.

"_No, I am not brave... I do it to get rid of the cold chill I feel down my spine every night. To get rid of the eyes that watch me, waiting for me to slip up. To get rid of the guilt I feel for causing the chain reaction in the first place... No, I am driven by fear... __not__ bravery._"

"Yo Chelsea! Are you there! Did something, like, steal your brain!" Denny nearly shouted in my ear.

I snapped my head at him in surprise, since he caught me off guard. I could feel my cheeks heating up, feeling completely ashamed for ignoring them and going off to la-la land... or rather depressing land.

"I-I'm sorry. I was just... daydreaming," I lied, though it pained me to lie to them.

Denny rolled his eyes, "I already gathered that Chelsea."

Julia, on the other hand, looked worried, "You seem to be daydreaming too often... more than usual. Is something on your mind?"

"_Yes,_" I thought.

Of course, I held my tongue and said, "Nothings on my mind. I've just been... thinking about this new book lately. I mean, don't you hate it when you read a book and then you get to the good part, but have to stop because you have things to do?"

Even though what I said wasn't what I wanted to say, it was true at least. So, I am technically not lying to them.

"O—kay! Let's play a board game to help Daydreamer here out! What about..."

Denny picked up one of the board games and slammed it into the middle of our small group, "This one!"

Julia and I looked down at it, and we should have known it was the type of game Denny would like. We both looked up at him, giving him our own doubtful looks.

"You're kidding right?" Julia asked.

"Uh, no," Denny said, an edge of confusion on his voice.

"Denny, this is a _fish_ board game! Is that all you can think about, even when you're not really fishing?"

"Hey, I love fishing. When I get up every morning, it's all I can think about. Nothing wrong with loving my work."

"There's a difference between loving and obsession," Julia countered.

"Let's just play the game. Once it's over, we'll pick another game we can agree on," I interrupted.

They agreed with a nod of their heads. Julia opened the board game and started to set up the pieces.

"Oh yeah! Julia, you happen to know if my..." he tapped his finger against the bottom of his chin, trying to make a decision, "guess I'll call him my buddy... Anyway, do you happen to know if he's coming today, for the festival and all?"

"Who?" she asked, most of her attention on setting up the game.

"Vaughn of course."

Julia gave him a shrug, "I really don't know. I did ask him but... he didn't answer me. He just shrugged at me."

"Wow, he didn't give you a hard time?" Denny asked.

"No... Now that I think about it, he hasn't been as grumpy with me since... well, earlier this week... Why are you asking anyway?"

Denny let out a nervous laugh, "I guess you can say I gave him a wake-up call today."

"You called him before he was awake himself! Are you insane! Even I don't disturb him when he's asleep," Julia admitted, just now finishing setting up the game.

"Yeah, I recommend that you keep doing that. He definitely wasn't happy about it. The things he said were _really_ not nice."

"Well you learned your lesson at least... Now, who wants to go first?" Julia asked.

Hours went by, as we continued to play various board games. I felt like everything was normal, and I realized how much I missed something as natural as this. The laughter, the jokes... just the atmosphere around me felt enjoyable overall. Something like this I wouldn't mind doing everyday. If not everyday, then at least during the weekend. This was the reason why I came to the island in the first place. To have something like this everyday, to have more freedom, to be myself without having to hide a few 'weird' traits about myself. I appreciated my friends...

Denny looked behind him, looking over the now mostly crowded Meadow.

"Well, I think it is time for me to go. I see Lanna... after many hours of waiting I might add."

"You didn't have fun playing games with us? I'm _hurt_ Denny!" Julia said, putting an hand over her heart, pretending to have her feelings hurt.

"Heh heh, you know I did. Thanks for keeping me busy, I needed it."

He turned his head to look for Lanna again, but instead of leaving, he looked at Julia with a small smile.

"Hey Julia, I'm not sure if I should mention this... but I think some guy wants to really talk to you."

"That's nice Denny, but you already know that I have Elliot. And he is all I need."

"Well, I'm not going to tell them that, you can yourself," he said as he stood up.

He gave me a wink while he was standing up, but I don't think Julia noticed it. I just didn't understand the point of it.

Julia let out a long breath as she stood up herself, "Okay, where is he? I'll gently turn him away myself."

Denny used his thumb and pointed behind him.

"You can't miss him. He looks kind of nerdy. You know, glasses and a little on the nervous side?"

Julia ignored what he was trying to imply and instead looked the way he pointed. She let out a gasp of surprise, catching my curiosity of her actions, forcing me to stand up. I looked too, and I was shocked as well, though more subtle about it. Right by the bridge, in front of it, were Elliot and Natalie. Well, Natalie was hard to see, but Elliot could be seen clearly. Not many people had dark pink hair like them.

"I... I don't believe it! Elliot is here!" Julia almost squealed in delight.

"I thought you were going to turn him down?" Denny jokingly asked.

Julia lightly hit his arm, earning an chuckle from him.

Elliot nodded his head in greeting to us and then he and Natalie began to find an area to set up at.

"Denny! How long are you going to take to join me!" a familiar voice whined.

Turns out Lanna picked a spot not too far from us. I don't know how she managed to find an area so late in the day of the event, but she somehow did. Denny gave us a goodbye wave and left our circle of three, now leaving just the two of us. I had a feeling that it'll turn into one very soon.

I expected Julia to leave next, but she instead sat back down on the sheet. I blinked at Julia in surprise as I lowered myself to the picnic sheet.

"You're not going to join him?" I asked her.

She shook her head at me, "I'll join him when he comes gets me himself."

"If you're worried about me Julia, I'll be okay. Besides, I have all of these board games to play with. They'll keep me busy until the fireworks starts," I told her, being truthful.

"You're not going to chase me away so easily. Besides, this is a good spot. When the fireworks shoot up, we'll be able to literally see them do that and explode!"

"Okay, if you really feel that way..."

She dismissed my concerns with a wave of her hand.

"Let's pick another game to play real quick. Which one do you want to play?" she asked me as she spread out the games in front of me.

* * *

**Vaughn's POV**

"_I can't __believe__ that I am showing up for this event! I hate fireworks!__**(1)**_" I thought.

I stepped off the lowered plank from the boat, and headed towards the exit to go to the Meadow. I didn't have to find an answer of why I was participating. Since Julia asked me to go, without threatening me surprisingly, I couldn't say no. Well, I could have, but I didn't... want to give her too much of a hard time. So, without telling her, I silently agreed to go. Now, I could face the consequences and not show up at all. But, I didn't want to meet her annoying whining because I didn't go or, possibly, her disappointment.

I let out an annoyed groan, "_Let's get this over with._"

As I walked on the stone path to head towards the Meadow, an thought came to me.

"_What if the Meadow has no room for me anywhere?_"

If that's the case, I could use that as an excuse to go back home, and avoid this event completely.

"_I just have to make sure Julia doesn't see me... or Denny for that matter._"

That idiot fisherman called me at four in the damn morning today! He obviously had nothing to do, or a brain not to mention. I mean really, what person would call someone else at four in the morning! Thinking of that event made me more irritated then I already was.

I finally reached the bridge, all I have to do is cross it to reach the Meadow. I began to cross it, taking short strides, avoiding both of being noticed and to look around. As usual, like past festivals, it was set up pretty nicely. Gannon had the gear ready for the fireworks to shot off and was busy watching over Charlie and Eliza playing. Chen had a small stand to sell small convenient items (that's new) for both visitors and residents. I could see fans and cameras hanging low from the small sign he had set up. I also saw a white-linen covered table, with food on it- another new addition to the festival.

"_I guess to attract more tourists. Makes sense, this place needs it with all of the hell that has happened for the past season,_" I thought, my frown deepening.

I glanced around the Meadow, looking for other familiar faces. I began to notice that the Meadow was really crowded.

"_Looks like I'll be able to use the excuse after all,_" I thought as I turned to leave.

My happiness, despite how small, was short-lived when someone clapped their hand on my shoulder. I didn't have to look to know who it was.

"_Damn it..._"

"Hey Vaughn! You actually showed up! I thought you wouldn't the way you reacted on the phone and all," Denny said as his face appeared within my vision.

"I'm _still_ pissed that you called me that early in the morning. What was your problem?"

"Nothin'! I just wanted to see if you were coming or not."

"And you didn't bother to look at the time?"

"Sorry, sometimes I lose track when I'm out fishing and all."

"That's stupid of you to bring something electrical with you out in the water."

"You're probably right... Do you have anywhere to sit?"

"I was actually about to leave. Don't you see it's packed?"

"You can stand over there," Denny said, as he pointed somewhere, removing his hand from my shoulder.

I began to take a step forward, out of the Meadow, but Denny caught what I was about to do.

"You can't ditch out of here now! Besides, you're here already! So, why waste the trip? Just go over there and have fun!"

"I hate fireworks."

"I love them too," Denny replied, ignoring my negative response.

I gave in, and went to the area where Denny pointed at. It was an empty area, enough for a single person to stand anyway.

"I wish it wasn't towards the front," I complained under my breath.

I began to make my way towards the area, trying my best to not kick anyone that were sitting down or bump into the ones that were standing up.

"_I wish they would make up their minds! Stand or sit! How difficult is that!_"

I finally reached the small area, almost towards the other side of the Meadow, near the water that surrounded it. I turned away from the water while taking an step back from the edge. I didn't need someone bumping into me and knocking me into the water.

"_Maybe I'll be able to leave when the fireworks are about to go off. Everyone will be too distracted to notice me walking out, including Denny,_" I thought, as I folded my arms and glanced around the Meadow with boredom and irritation.

* * *

**Chelsea's POV**

"I WIN!" I exclaimed in excitement.

The Meadow wasn't loud enough apparently, as a few people looked our way. My cheeks flushed as I looked away from the staring crowd.

"_Jesh! They act like they've never seen someone play games before!_" I thought.

Julia began to put the game we were playing away, along with the others.

"I'm kind of tired of playing games, so, I'm putting them away."

"I'm not disagreeing. I'm kind of hungry right now anyway," I admitted to her.

Julia nodded, just putting away the last board game. She opened the picnic basket and began to take out snacks; snack bars, cans of something to drink, and other things. I grabbed a snack bar and opened it as quickly as I could. It was just a regular chocolate bar, but I was starving and willing to eat anything. It didn't have any types of nuts in it though, meaning less filling for me.

"It'll have to do until I can get a real meal," I said as I took my first bite out of the bar.

A regular bar or not, it tasted delicious. Although, chocolate is _always_ good to eat. As I chewed, my mind began to doze off, just withdrawing from my surroundings.

"_Maybe I should begin reading one of the books in my bag,_" I thought.

I didn't know what the books were or even their titles, but I can guess at least- that'll be fun….

"_I wonder if it is a sci-fi book, something about aliens are usually the type I read... or maybe it's a action and adventure one! Those are sometimes nice to read with the mystical creatures... If not any of those, it could be about something else, or rather, someone else being mystical themselves. One involving magic maybe?"_

My thoughts halted at the word 'magic'. There is a witch living the forest, a real one, and I felt stupid for thinking of something as that.

I use to think wizards or witches were cool, based on the books I have read. But, now that I met the real thing, it's not so amazing anymore...

"You're wondering why I don't do anything to my face?" Julia asked, waking me up from my inner thoughts.

I realized that while I was daydreaming, it seemed I was staring at her face. I felt ashamed, even if I didn't mean to do it.

"I didn't mean to-"

"It's okay, it doesn't bother me," she replied, not a single word came out as a stutter.

A question tugged at the back of my head, concerning her actions. I wanted to ignore it, to not ask the question, but curiosity got the best of me.

"I... I don't mean to ask Julia, really I don't... But, why don't you... use anything to cover the— bruises on your face?"

I expected her to be angry with me for asking such an offensive question. Instead, she surprised me by lightly smiling. I saw her twist her head in a certain direction.

"Because... I don't need to try so hard anymore... I can be this way without worry now. I don't need a mask anymore," she told me.

I looked in the same direction she was looking, and I could see Elliot in the distance. He was sitting down, glancing around the Meadow. I don't think he noticed Julia's staring at first, until his glancing eyes landed her way. He stared back at her for a few seconds, before he slowly turned his head away. I wasn't sure, but I thought I saw his face turn a light crimson. It could be the cold though, as a wind was beginning to blow through everything.

"I hope it doesn't get too chilly out here," I thought, being a little glad that I decided to wear my usual work outfit; since I always brought my jacket with me when I wore it.

I pulled the edges of my jacket closer to my chest, trying to keep the warmth close to my body. I also pulled my knees up to my chest.

"You can join him if you want Julia. I'll be fine by myself," I told her, being sincere with my response.

Julia whipped her head towards me, her eyes slightly wide in shock.

"Oh, no Chelsea. I don't want to leave so suddenly. I really don't-"

"I know you want to go over there Julia. Besides, you can't stay here. We played enough board games to last me a lifetime and there really isn't anything to talk about. Not only that... I _really_ know you want to go over there, and I think you should. This might be the only time you'll see Elliot, in a long time... and I don't want you to miss that,"

She bit her bottom lip, and glanced at me, "Are you sure?"

I pointed to where Elliot was at in answer. She didn't argue again as she began to stand up. She patted her yukata to take out the wrinkles. She gave me one last look in thanks before she ran off in the direction of where Elliot sat. I watched her, to make sure she didn't trip over anybody. Elliot wouldn't be able to save her fall, with his arms bounded in the casts and all...

Once I was sure she would be okay, I looked away and looked around the Meadow again. The Meadow was crowded now, so I wanted to look for any new or familiar faces. I found Denny's and Lanna's spot, they were chatting away at the moment. I noticed that their spot wasn't that far from where I sat. I skipped over Elliot's and Julia's spot, as I already knew where it was. I looked for his sister instead, and I found her. As I expected, she was sitting in her wheelchair, and Pierre was sitting in a chair behind her. Their lips were moving, obviously discussing about something... I looked away from them to glance elsewhere. After doing so for a few minutes, I realized I didn't see Dr. Trent anywhere.

"_Huh, I wonder where he is at... Could he have gone home for the festival?_" I thought.

The idea made sense to me, I would be a little homesick too. Mentioning the word 'homesick' made the feeling appear in me. I pulled my knees tighter against my chest, trying to suppress the feeling.

"_I wonder what they are doing for the festival?_"

Back at home we would go to the fireworks festival every year. Every year, Mom would make special festive dumplings and she would wear her own yukata, as would I. Dad wouldn't wear one, as he found the idea of wearing it too fancy for the occasion. But, he did like the event itself and the idea behind it- of how our family would be together... I felt my eyes tingle, unformed tears...

"_I miss them... I miss home,_" I thought with a sudden sadness.

Reluctantly, I turned my thoughts away from home and focused on my surroundings again.

"_I wished for this... didn't I?_"

I shouldn't have wished so hard to find an job, to live my own life; maybe I should have wished to work somewhere closer to home...

This time, I shook my head to get rid of the thoughts. I turned all of my focus to searching for any other familiar faces. I realized there were others not here at the festival either; Shea, Sabrina, Will, and Vaughn...

Well, there was a very high possibility that he wouldn't come.

"_I wonder if he doesn't like fireworks or something. I mean, there has to be a reason why he doesn't want to come... Maybe he's working? That sounds reasonable. He does work most of the time, hardly spending time outside of his job, unless he is forced to that is..._"

I decided to look around the Meadow again, thinking that I missed the faces of some of my friends. Even though I looked hard for them, I still couldn't find Shea anywhere in the crowd, the same went for Sabrina, Will, and Vaughn.

I drew my attention to the stall where Chen was selling stuff. He was talking to a customer, getting ready to sell something to them it looked like. My eyes moved on, stopping again on the sight of Charlie and Eliza talking to Gannon. It looked like they asked him about something he didn't like, as he looked uncomfortable suddenly. I lightly laughed at what they could possibly be asking him.

"_Probably about the existence of Santa Clause,_" I thought.

My eyes moved again, briefly going over different items and faces.

"_Two random people chatting... a mother trying to calm her baby... two people playing chess... food on someone's plate... a black cowboy hat... someone juggling red ba-... Wait... a cowboy hat?_"

My eyes backtracked to where I thought I saw the cowboy hat. I think it was close to the edge of the Meadow, where the water would be...

I looked hard in the crowd, focusing all of my attention to finding that black cowboy hat. My eyes were beginning to hurt from squinting; I was focused too much.

"_Weird... maybe I imagined it?_"

I hoped that wasn't the case, otherwise I might have to make an appointment with Dr. Trent.

When I couldn't find the signature hat, or even an shape that looked like the familiar hat, I was about to give up. That is when I saw it, and the occupant that had the hat on their head. Happy to be wrong about me hallucinating the hat, I was also glad that Vaughn came too.

He didn't notice me, he was too busy looking elsewhere. The smile I held began to fade as a realization hit me.

"_Why is he standing?_"

Once I looked around the small area where he stood, another thought occurred to me. I realized that he didn't have anywhere to sit either.

"_The festival is kind of long. Is he really going to stand there the whole time? Won't he get tired of standing?_"

I thought that he might have someone to sit with, maybe with...

"_Well, it can't be Julia since she's with Elliot. Denny is out because he is with Lanna. Although I don't think Denny would mind, Lanna wouldn't be too happy about it. To her, three is an crowd, and Vaughn might not appreciate it either..._"

I felt bad for him, that he had nowhere to rest.

"_He can sit with you. Don't you have room?_" my conscience asked me.

I fit like hitting the palm of my hand against my forehead.

"_Duh! Why didn't I think of that!_"

The smile was back on my face. I let go of my knees and stretched them out on the sheet to get ready to stand up. I pushed myself up from the ground and I was ready to head in his direction.

"Look! You forgot the camera at home! Are you too cheap to buy one from that man over there!" I heard someone whisper angrily, although it was loud enough for me to hear them.

I turned my head as far back behind me as I could, where I thought I heard the voice come from. Turns out I was able to hear her because she, along with her partner, had their own sheet next to where I sat.

"I'm not buying another camera just for a few photos. Instead, we can cherish this moment," the guy replied to her.

I turned away from their argument, "_I hope they won't be doing that the whole time. Otherwise I won't enjoy the fireworks as much..._"

I focused at my task, I had to search for Vaughn again since I was distracted. This time when I found his spot with my eyes, he was looking at _me_. He had his arms folded over his chest, another signature of his, and he blinked at me- in surprise? I smiled back at him and I began to make my way towards his area.

* * *

**Vaughn's POV**

I thought I felt eyes on me, but I didn't think they would belong to Chelsea.

"_What does she want?_" I thought, slightly curious.

I could see her making her way towards me, with that friendly smile on her face.

"_I swear she smiles too much... I hope she doesn't ask me why I am here, even I don't know the answer to that._"

She continued to make a path towards me; she's getting close...

"_Maybe she wants you to watch the fireworks with her?_" my conscience suggested.

The idea stunned me at first, and then confusion hit me.

"_But, why?_"

I didn't get it. Didn't she have her other friends to sit with?

I then thought of my observations of the Meadow.

"_That's right... I saw Julia with Elliot, so she's out of the question. That annoying pop-star is with Denny, as expected. Natalie is with that midget, a questionable sight, but she is none-the-less..._"

Now that I thought about it, I noticed I didn't see Mark anywhere. Wouldn't that stupid rancher be around too? Possibly sitting somewhere?

"_If that was the case, she wouldn't be bothering me- right?_"

I knew I was missing others, but I couldn't think of them... She was getting closer; she's almost where I am at...

"_I guess I'm the only left for her to bother... If that is the case... I guess I wouldn't mind, especially if I am offered somewhere to sit. I would welcome that right now, I am tired of standing._"

She was getting _real_ close now. If she took a few more steps, I could practically reach out an hand to touch her forehead.

I could see words beginning to form from her mouth, getting ready to say something to me. However, her path was suddenly blocked by a flash of white light.

"_That's not light,_" I thought, as I came over from the shock.

The white I saw was from a familiar jacket. A jacket that only one person, that I know of, wears.

Chelsea was just as surprised as me by his sudden appearance. If her startled cry that I heard indicated anything.

"_I knew I was missing someone!_" I thought, surprisingly annoyed that Will interrupted her actions.

I strained my ears to hear their conversation, since they were close enough for me to hear them. I'm sure he interrupted her because he wanted to talk about something.

"I apologize for startling you, as I had no intention to do that," Will said to her in apology.

"It's okay Will, I'm fine... Is there something wrong? You seem a little nervous..." she said.

I could see the genuine concern on her facial features as she looked at him. I couldn't see his face. All I could see was the back of his head, and his postures were giving me little to figure out what he might be thinking.

"Chelsea, you are very observant, I can see that I cannot hide anything from you..."

Chelsea blinked her eyes at him, clearly confused. I noticed he dodged her question.

As if he had read my thoughts, he answered her question with one of his own... one that made me stand stiff...

"Chelsea... I was doing a little pondering for the past few hours today, and now I have to obliterate these thoughts... Chelsea, with your graceful permission, can I sit with you during this festival?"

I visibly saw her eyes grow double in size; I think my face contorted into the same expression as hers.

Her wide eyes shifted away from Will, looking behind him, at _me_. Chelsea's eyes slowly began to shrink, forming into uncertainty. I just stared back at her, although slightly confused of what she wanted from me.

"_Is she asking... for my opinion?_"

I didn't understand, I didn't get what she wanted me to do. The idea made me irritated and I felt my eyebrows tighten. Unfortunately, she took my internal frustration as anger towards her. I saw her eye wince and she quickly looked back at Will.

"I... guess so Will... Sure, you can sit with me! We can watch them together!"

Again, my observation skills had to be too good. I noticed her voice was a little strained, hesitant, in the beginning of her sentence, but it grew stronger by the end.

"_Why? Why was there hesitation?_"

I wished I didn't ask myself that, as it just made me more confused then I already was. Also, I was beginning to feel anger creep up into my veins. I don't know why, I don't understand the meaning behind it. So what if there was a possibility of her asking me to sit with her! So what that she changed her mind and decided to let Will sit with her!

"_I shouldn't give a damn… right?_"

I didn't like that I formed my own statement into a question. Not even an easy question, a question I cannot answer….

"_I guess I'll never find out what she wanted to ask me,_" I thought as I saw them begin to walk where Chelsea's spot was.

As they walked back, Chelsea made a backwards glance. Her eyes fell onto me, and her expression held pity for me.

"_Pity? Why?_"

Maybe I read her expression wrong….

I felt a tug on my shirt, being pulled a little downwards. I looked down, annoyed that someone interrupted my thoughts and I was about to let them see how pissed I was… if they didn't surprise me first.

"Sabrina?" I asked, uncertain if it was really her.

She wasn't wearing her usual attire, the pink sweater was gone… along with her other usual clothing.

She was wearing a light pink yukata. On her yukata were purple flowers of some sort. They stuck out like a sore thumb from the background. Her hair was pinned up into a loose bun with a pink flower design hair pin, matching her yukata perfectly. I wouldn't have recognized her if she wasn't wearing her large-rimmed glasses.

I noticed her face was slightly red, and her eyes glanced down.

"I didn't expect you to show up," she said in her usual meek voice.

"I… was kind of tricked to come here."

She nodded her head once and she began to pull at her yukata nervously. I could safely assume that she wanted something since she was still standing here.

"Is there something you want?" I asked her.

She continued pulling at her outfit and avoiding eye contact with me. I internally sighed. Another one of those days that'll she'll take forever to speak.

"I uh… I was just wondering… Do you have anywhere to sit?"

I raised an eyebrow at her question, "No, I don't. If I did, would I be standing here?"

She gave me a nervous smile and said, "I should have known. I'm sorry for asking the obvious."

"It's alright…. Is that all you wanted?"

She didn't seem to be in any hurry anywhere.

"Well I… I was really wondering if it was possible that you would… watch the fireworks with me?"

Not many things can stun me. It doesn't matter what I hear, see, or what is said to me, I hardly get stunned enough that I can feel a little dizzy in the head.

"What?" I asked, unsure if I heard correctly.

It's possibly that I imagined this. Although, I don't ever imagine about anything….

"I… I asked if it was possible that we could watch the fireworks together…." she asked me again.

"_So, I wasn't imagining it…._"

Luckily my thoughts were interrupted, as I didn't have an answer for her question. Two people were being extremely loud, yelling at the top of their lungs. It wasn't just me that heard them, as others in the Meadow turned to look their way.

"Ugh! You are unbelievable! I'm leaving!" the woman yelled in a guy's face.

She then turned away and stomped off, leaving the Meadow. The guy began to run after her while yelling, "You're being rash! We can talk this out!"

My eyes went back to the spot where they were at just a moment ago. That's when I realized where they were sitting at. Right next to the area they were at, were Will and Chelsea….

"_They left their sheet… a free area…._"

I could feel a couple of ideas tumbling around in my brain. They were unrefined, incomplete, just completely jumbled up. And just like that, the words came together and formed an idea in my head.

"Sabrina, if I… agree to watch them with you…. Do you have anywhere to sit at?"

From the corner of my eyes, the lower portion of them, I saw Sabrina twist her fingers around and around while looking down at the ground. She was obviously embarrassed.

"I… No…. I'm really sorry…."

"No need for that, we were saved one."

She looked up at me, her eyes wide and she squeaked in a small voice, "We?"

"Yeah…. I'm agreeing if you didn't catch that."

A smile appeared along the line of mouth and she said, "I'm… really grateful."

"Okay then, just follow me. And don't fall behind, or we might lose our seat," I said as I started to move towards the area.

I could hear her footsteps behind me. I moved along the crowd in a trance, getting closer to the empty sheet on the ground. I swore that if anyone took it before me, I'll be forceful enough to push them off it or to tell them to scram somewhere.

Luckily I didn't have to do that. We got there without any incidents. Chelsea and Will were too busy talking. Neither noticed that I walked past them, not even when I sat down on the sheet. It took them a few seconds for them to notice me, or rather, for Will to see me. He was facing my direction, while Chelsea's back was to me. Now that I realized this, I noticed that I am sitting right next to Chelsea. I'm just sitting on another sheet.

"Hello Vaughn. You're here to see the fireworks as well?" Will asked me.

I saw Chelsea turn her whole body around. Her eyebrows reached high up in her forehead, obvious shock in her eyes.

"Vaughn…." she said.

"Chelsea," I greeted with a tip of my hat.

She gave me a small smile in return and said, "Looks like you do have a seat after all. Although you borrowed that seat without permission."

"Not my fault they left it here. You know how it is. Finders keepers."

She rolled her eyes, but lightly laughed anyway.

"Glad you could join us," she said.

She then looked beside me, just noticing the company I agreed to sit with.

"Sabrina! You did show up after all! When did you get here?" Chelsea asked her.

"Not too long ago," she replied back in that usual small voice of hers.

Chelsea then looked from her to me and back to her.

"Oh, so you're sitting with Vaughn?" Chelsea asked

Sabrina just nodded her head in reply. I didn't like the way Chelsea asked or phrased it…. To my ears it seemed… wrong somehow….

My thoughts were interrupted when Will said, "I think it's about to start."

I looked straight ahead, and he was right. Gannon was setting the fireworks up, making sure they were positioned right. We were close, but not close enough that the light could damage the eyes… at least I think so.

The Meadow became quieter as more people began to notice that the fireworks were about to start.

"_I don't see what the big deal is. It's nothing but a bunch of lights going off in the sky,_" I thought, still finding fireworks not so grand in the first place.

Gannon began to light them up, and within seconds they were hurling into the sky. I had to shift my head upward in order to see the sky better. The fireworks exploded in a blast of different colors, the loud booming sound coming after it. I heard someone awe at the sight, making me look beside me, where the sound came from.

Chelsea had a wide bright smile on her face and I could see the colors of the fireworks reflecting in her eyes, literally. I blinked my own eyes once at the sight.

"_Has her eyes always been that bright?_"

I found it odd that I never noticed that before. As many times as I saw her during the week when I worked on the island, I never noticed how bright they looked…. I'm losing my senses and my observations skills are severely lacking if I didn't notice that before….

"Th-Thank you for agreeing to sit with me Vaughn," a voice said from the other side of me.

I looked away from Chelsea to look at Sabrina.

"You're welcome… I guess," I told her.

I didn't see what the big deal was about it. I didn't even understand why she asked me. Didn't she have somebody else that could have sat with her?

Sabrina then moved herself a little closer to me. I didn't like the proximity of her. I was about to tell her to move away and give her a sarcastic comment about her ever hearing about 'personal space'. But, I actually held my tongue and just moved away from her myself.

Another blast of colors flashed through the sky, emitting more awes from Chelsea and others. I brought my attention to Chelsea, going back to my previous thoughts before Sabrina interrupted me. Again, she had the same smile on her face and her eyes lit up brighter than usual. Even though I saw this not too long ago, the sight still looked foreign to me.

Chelsea must have felt me staring at her too long, because she then turned her head to face me. Her smile faltered a little, as she stared at me in some sort of trance like state.

However, the connection broke as more fireworks sounded off into the sky. Even though I already know I am at the Meadow with fireworks going off, the sound caught me by surprise. I didn't make it obvious that I was caught unexpectedly. Chelsea must have been caught by surprise as well, because I heard her let out a gasp.

"Are you okay Chelsea?" Will asked her, concerned.

"I'm fine. The fireworks just… scared me for a second," she said, though I heard a tiny bit of confusion in her voice.

She's not the only one confused, I was too a second ago….

Will then eased her into a small quiet conversation, or at least he tried to. She wasn't replying to his quiet words with her own. She just nodded her head in reply. Deciding that the conversation wasn't interesting for me to watch, I was about to look elsewhere, but the movement of Will's hand stopped me. He did it very carefully and subtle that Chelsea didn't notice. But she was too busy focusing on his face to notice. I saw his mouth no longer moving, and he gave her an intense look, completely focused on her face. His fingers brushed over her hand, enough for her to at least notice them.

I didn't like the look on his face or his actions. I became irritated and for some reason, panic began to crawl into me. I could feel my heart pounding hard against my chest and I felt it tighten. My breathing began to come out in quicker and shorter breaths.

I asked myself, "_What am I getting so worked up about? I shouldn't be like this over nothing._"

I couldn't see Chelsea's face, since it was turned away from me. I didn't want to imagine what her face looked like either….

Although I couldn't see her face, I could tell that she stiffen. Her back became straighter and very still. Based on her body language, I could guess that she was giving him a shocked look.

Will continued to focus all of his attention on her. The smile on his face was small, just a curl around his mouth. I began to think that maybe I was hallucinating. That the lights from the fireworks were playing tricks on my eyes and that I should leave now to get away from the event; as I planned to do earlier anyway.

My logical and only answer was quickly shattered when I saw that he began to move the top portion of his body towards Chelsea slowly, mostly his head. I never thought it was possible to have any organ part caught in the throat. Once again, I'm proven wrong. I felt like my heart actually went to my throat, and was stuck. My mind was reeling and ideas were thrown around in my head. The thoughts were bouncing around too fast in my head, making it impossible to hear or focus on a single idea or thought. I couldn't understand what my mind was trying to tell me, what it wanted me to do.

Just as Will's head was too close to Chelsea's, without her moving in protest I briefly noticed, my mind screamed loud enough that it rung in my ears, "_DO SOMETHING!_"

I wanted to question the thought, why should I? I don't have anything to do with what she does with her life. But, I only had one second to make a choice. I can do something or nothing.

I picked the former, something. My consequences on that choice became evident to me, because I did something I _hate_ to do. I spoke without thinking, "Chelsea…."

To me, what I said shouldn't have stopped Will's actions or gained Chelsea's attention. I was surprised that it did get her attention, because she turned her head to face me. Will's intentions were forced to a stop since she held her attention at me, for now. I expected Will to give me an irritated look, but his expression held curiosity towards me instead of anger.

Chelsea blinked her eyes once, as if she was just waking up from a daze.

She asked me, "Did you say something Vaughn?"

Since I spoke without thinking, I didn't know what to say. Telling her that my brain forced me into immediate action would just make me look very… stupid. I don't even understand the reasons behind it; not the panic I felt before, why my heart felt like it was stuck in my throat, why my breathing became labored, or the other strange feelings my body had.

I can't remember the last time I felt unsure of my own actions, of my thoughts, or even when I am doing work. I am, most of time, very sure of anything I do. Even when I face something that is strange, I always come up with a logical reason for it. But right now, I feel very… confused….

"Vaughn?" Chelsea said, waking me up from my internal battle.

I decided to delay my actions for pondering later. I have to come up with something to say now. Come up with a reason of why I gained her attention. But what? I didn't think this through!

I could feel that annoying tug in the back of brain. Annoying or not, my conscience has come to 'save me' from this mess. That was what I thought at first until it whispered, "_Ask her about her humming. What are the words for it?_"

"_What the hell? Are you telling me to ask her to… sing to me! Because that is what it sounds like!_"

I found the idea both horrifying and stupid! Why, on any level, would I ask such a question? Even if I was dying on the floor now, I wouldn't mention such a thing; not as suggestion or as a question. It's true I have heard her hum some tune while she was working a few times. However, I never had the impulse to ask her about the tune or what the words were. It didn't matter how many times I heard, it just never bothered me.

"_You can keep telling yourself that as much as you want. But remember, I am __your__ conscience; I am still part of __you__. I am what you hide and I remind you of what's right. I am your under thoughts, thoughts that you rather store elsewhere in your brain, to never think about again. You can deny me all you want, but I'll be here. And I'll keep reminding you about me, and remind you of your under thoughts. It's your choice if you listen to me or not."_

Again, I had to wonder when did my damn conscience started getting so loud _and_ talk so much.

I wanted to retort to my conscience's words, but I didn't have time for this. Chelsea was still waiting for a reply from me. Thankfully, only seconds went by and not minutes like I felt.

The sky lit up again as another pair of fireworks exploded, giving me a extra few seconds to think of how I was going to ask her the 'advice' my conscience gave me.

"_Damn…. I might just have to wing it,_" I thought.

"Chelsea…. I wanted to ask you something about your… job," I told her, avoiding getting straight to the point.

"Really? Now?" she looked confused for a moment.

She shifted in her sitting position to face me completely. Will still looked calm about the whole situation, not even slightly angry. Funny, even though I interrupted him, he's peaceful (his conscience too), while mine just pisses me off.

"Well, what is it that you want to know?"

"_Damn, I can't dodge the bullet now… I better just throw it out there…._"

"I was wondering about that tune you hum when you work. And… I want you to tell me what the words are for that tune you are always humming," I said, in a tone that I hoped was casual.

I saw her eyes widen and her cheeks going crimson.

"You— heard me?" she asked in a low voice.

I wasn't sure if her question was a warning or if she was really curious for an answer.

"I am usually very careful about that because I like to… you know, hum to myself," she admitted.

That's when Will joined in on the conversation.

"I have never heard you hum before Chelsea, not when I have assisted you at the farm a few times. I wouldn't mind if you fulfilled Vaughn's request, as I would like to hear your singing," Will said.

I let out a low scoff in his direction, but he ignored it.

Even though I have a strong dislike towards him, he has convinced Chelsea to do as I have requested (or rather my conscience forced me to ask).

"Okay…. I'll sing…."

* * *

**Denny's POV**

Lanna clapped her hands again as more fireworks exploded in the sky, and the colors began to rain down.

"Fireworks are so beautiful! I'm so glad that this event happens every year!" she said happily, a wide smile on her face.

I nodded my head at her statement in agreement. I felt her nuzzle her head a little against my shoulder.

"I'm glad that we're watching them together Denny…. It really means a lot to me."

"I know…. Hey, do you think there is any sashimi on the table there?"

I felt her lightly hit my arm. I thought she would laugh next, but instead she puffed out her cheeks in annoyance.

"How did your mind go to food on the table!" she asked me.

"Well I was just looking around and when I saw the table, I thought about food," I told her with a small smile.

"Oh! You know what I mean! Oh, never mind!"

She then turned away from me, fuming. I let out an sigh and wondered what I did wrong _this_ time. Is it wrong for me to think of food when I haven't really eaten anything all day? Even when I was playing games all day with Chelsea and Julia, I didn't eat anything.

"_Speaking of which…. I wonder where they are now,_" I thought, as I began to look around for them.

When I looked behind me, I saw Elliot and Julia a few rows down.

"_So, Julia moved to meet Elliot…. I wonder how he got here without his mother knowing._"

I know all about the dilemma between Julia and Elliot. Or rather, I figured it out…. I just saw him less often around town, the same for Natalie.

"_She's probably out here too if he's here…. And, if Julia is over there… who is with Chelsea?_"

I looked ahead of me. Chelsea's sheet was only two rows ahead of us. If I bent forward and strained my ears really hard, I could probably hear everything that was going on.

Chelsea was sitting on her seat, with her head down. I briefly wondered why, but that's when I noticed the company _surrounding_ her. I could see the familiar short blonde hair, with small curls at the end- Will. He was sitting on Chelsea's left. On her right, on another sheet I figured, sat my buddy Vaughn! To my surprise, sitting next to him on his right, was Sabrina.

I wondered how they managed to find an area to sit at; that was not only close but next to someone they were familiar with.

I decided to wonder about it later. Instead, I should figure out how to make Lanna 'un-mad' at me.

Just as I turned to talk to her, a sound went through the air.

I thought that it was the fireworks, but I noticed that colors didn't fall from the sky.

I listened again, waiting for a repeat…. The sound was words forming into a melody, a song.

As I listened to the sound, I felt my stomach tighten and my ears rung at the sound. The singing made me feel… _sick_….

The singing, whoever was doing it, sounded horrible! To protect my ears from the unbearable sound, I put my hands over them.

"_What is that horrible noise!__**(2)**__ Who is singing!_" I thought, as I clenched my teeth hard.

Yes, the singing was _that_ bad. The singer was trying too hard. Instead of the words coming out together, in a form of harmony, they came out forced, strained, and off-key. Also, despite my efforts to block out the words, they still went through the skin of my hands.

I was beginning to realize that I wasn't the only one hearing the atrocious singing. Others in the Meadow began to hear it, and they were reacting like me. I could hear a few angry or annoyed mutters. There were others that decided to leave the Meadow altogether, making more room for people to move. Like what I want to do.

I should be asking myself that question right now. I felt my teeth gritting each other uncomfortably.

"_Lanna and me need to find another seat, somewhere in the back. I can't take this!_"

* * *

**Chelsea's POV**

My reasons for never singing aloud, especially to an audience, were valid. I already knew about my… lack of a singing voice. I could hear some people in the background complaining about my singing. I could see some people leaving the Meadow altogether to get away from my singing. Even though I knew what was going on around me, I ignored it and focused on my voice, to finish what I started.

I saw the next lines to the short song appear in my mind, the last line._**(3)**_

As I finished singing the last line; that was when time slowed down around me. If time didn't really slow time, then it felt like it to me.

I expected to see a look of horror on Vaughn's face or maybe even irritation for wasting his time with my singing. I was both surprised and awed that he was neither, he was surprised. I looked over his face carefully, thinking I misread it. Maybe I missed his eye twitch or blood leaking from his ears. Again, I was taken aback by his surprised expression, and I saw it slowly change into a small smile. Is he about to laugh? At my singing? That is when I focused on his eyes, _just_ his eyes- and I was dragged into them.

At least it felt like I was dragged into them, it's … hard to describe in words.

_I first saw myself standing in front of a wall, a brick wall that was well constructed. Not a hole or crack could be found, making it look indestructible. I felt that if I can get behind that wall, I'll be able to find something. I just didn't know what that something was or could be…. It made me want to find out what was behind the wall even more, even if it could be dangerous to know. _

_I put a hand on the wall, getting ready to try to climb over it. Right before my eyes, the wall crumbled down. The parts fell down at my feet, now being nothing but a stack of crumbled red clay; evidence that a wall was there. I looked beyond, where the wall used to stand, protecting whatever was beyond. All I saw was an endless darkness as far as my eyes could see. Not a single light, a spark, a glow, not even an outline that a light could have been there. I felt the cold hit my spine, making me shiver. I felt afraid…. I didn't even know where I was or if I was really anywhere else. Have I finally gone crazy? Am I lost within my own mind?_

_The only way I could find out was to move on… afraid or not._

_I took one step forward, and another, and another. My steps were uncertain, but I slowly began to feel a little confident. No trouble… so far…._

_I have always believed that when there is a beginning, there is an end. But this galaxy without stars, kept going, and going, and going… it never seemed to end, no matter how far I walked…._

_I could stop and rest. I could just lie down and wait for something significant to happen. But as quick as the idea came to me, it vanished into dust. I had the impression that if I went through with the idea, I would lose this opportunity. So, I continued on my walk without resting…._

_The walk finally paid off, as I thought I saw something in the distance, just being a little further. I changed the pace of my walking into a jog. I wanted to quickly reach the source before it disappeared or my eyes could trick me. Luckily, the source didn't disappear before my eyes._

_However, when I reached the source, I felt like I have gone over the meaning of crazy. The source wasn't a what, it was a who. I hoped it was an illusion, because it is impossible for there to be two of anyone… right?_

_What I saw, sitting on the pitch-black ground, was… Vaughn…. He was wearing his usual outfit, except his hat was in his hand… and his wrists were bounded by metal chains. When I followed the length of the chain, they led deeper into the endless darkness. My eyes went back to Vaughn. He had his eyes casted down, a shadow covering his eyes, preventing me from reading them…. Wait, isn't that what I am doing here? Isn't that how I arrived here?_

_Just then, my eyes focused on the area he was sitting at. It took my mind a little time to realize that what I saw wasn't the dark ground… What I saw was dark red, a pool of liquid— blood._

_I was about to run forward, the first thing I should have done once I saw the chains, but I was stopped when he looked up._

_The look in his eyes…. There was so much to absorb, nothing I have ever seen in a single person before. Usually there is evidence of a person's life, bits and pieces of different emotions they have felt; joy, grief, doubt, embarrassment…. But, what I was seeing didn't even reflect at ounce of happiness. I saw too much of the same feeling of depression. In those eyes, I saw glimpses of memories filled with fatigue, sorrow, and anger. The quick glances I had of those memories, none of them held happiness, hope, laughter, or any other emotion that represents the good in life. Everything I saw were the downs in life…. It was too much for me to take…._

_My vision began to blur and my eyes felt moister than usual. My cheeks began to feel wet, the tears were falling down._

"Chelsea…."

_I was about to step forward again to help Vaughn, and find out why I saw only those downfalls in life. But I felt myself being pulled away from the scene, and it wasn't me moving away…._

"Chelsea?"

_I was trying to pull against the pulling, defy the movement. I wanted to know what I saw, to understand it, to help, and to… obliterate my curiosity…._

"Chelsea!"

I was pulled back, and I could see everything in the Meadow…. I was back at the Meadow, at the fireworks festival….

"_What… was that?_"

* * *

**Vaughn's POV**

After the song ended, I expected her to go back to talking to Will or watch the fireworks… well, they were getting ready to end. The time gaps between them exploding in the sky were becoming less frequent.

I was wrong.

She instead looked at me, making me look at her in surprise. I saw her expression change into bafflement. I lightly smiled at the sight. I could take a few guesses of why she was confused. And at that same moment, I felt the smile fade from my mouth and she… _stared_ at me. She was too focused, too intense on my face. I then felt her eyes bore into mine … and I felt my head spin momentarily….

And she stayed that way, staring, way too long for just a quick glance. My head began to feel hot and I could feel myself begin to sweat, which I rarely do, even in hot weather. It became harder for me to breath, and I began to feel a little woozy in the stomach. I felt her— _presence_ in my head… and I wanted her out.

I tried to think of how to do just that, but my head felt foggy and I began to feel an ache creeping inside my head. I think I held my breath and my eyes blinked- water got into my eye... or my sweat rather. I felt myself getting really pissed off. I wanted her out of my head, but I didn't know how to do it...

I want her out… now! I felt like I was being suffocated, that I was being weak, that I was being defiled!

"_Stop…! Get out of my head!_"

Instead of that thought making me feel stronger, being able to push her out, I just felt more exhausted. I began to feel delirious, making me do something I didn't want to do. My eyes focused on her blue ones… and I saw what was behind them. I didn't want to, but I was forcefully drawn into them… not enough that I feel like I was brought elsewhere, just enough to see the surface.

_What I saw was foreign to me… most of it. I'm use to seeing and experiencing horrific events, based on my life._

_Most of what I saw, glimpses of memories in her life I guess, were mostly full of… joy. I saw not just joy; there was laughter, hope, kindness, care, love and many other factors that had something to do with the positive side of life. I rarely saw, if at all, unhappiness, despair, unkindness, hate or any other emotions pertaining to the messed up parts in life…. I felt like I didn't deserve to see any of that..._

"Vaughn…."

_Just by me seeing those memories made me realize the large difference between our lives._

"Vaughn?"

_I had to wonder why I saw all of that? How did I see those things? And… what did she see while I was occupied?_

"Vaughn!"

I was snapped back into reality. I felt myself scowl and a scoff going through my teeth, actually angry that I was taken away from something that was… something, just something. I can't say it was nice, but neither can I say it was horrible…. It was just… strange….

That was when I realized where my face was, how close it was to Chelsea's face. I was so close that I could feel her breath from her nose hitting my face, and I could see her eyes glazed over, in a daze….

"Chelsea!" I heard Will yell in alarm.

I briefly had a thought that it was the first time I have heard Will yell, about anything. I saw her eyes blink once and her eyes shifted around; searching her surroundings, before they focused back on me.

I saw her face turn bright red, and I thought I saw a faded line under her eyes. Tears maybe? Did she cry?

"I… I'm sorry," she said as she pulled back.

I did as well. I don't even know how we got into that position.

"Chelsea, are you okay? You seemed stunned. You were… are you crying?" Will asked her in concern.

I saw Chelsea quickly wipe her eyes with her arms and she said, "I wasn't crying, and I'm sorry that I zoned out. I can sometimes when I… daydream."

"Vaughn, are you okay?" Sabrina asked me from beside me.

I turned my head to look at her.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why would you ask?"

"I… you were… you were sweating…. Do you have a fever?"

I brought an hand to my forehead and wiped it across. Sweat stuck to my hand, and I wiped it on my pant leg.

"I'm not sick. I was just… hot for a second. The fireworks can make it hotter at night," I told her, hoping she won't ask any more questions.

I saw her frown in confusion, probably not buying my explanation. I turned away from her before she could throw another question at me.

"Chelsea, are you sure you are not ill?" Will asked her.

"It's okay, really, I'm fine," she told him, giving him a smile so that he could believe her.

He gave her a quick glance, obviously not believing her, but he accepted her answer anyway. Will stood up from the sheet and reached a hand out to her, offering to help her up.

"What are you…?"

"The fireworks festival is over Chelsea," Will stated, as if it was the most obvious thing.

Well, it should have been the most obvious thing in the world. The Meadow was mostly empty, with a few people here and there. Chen's temporarily stand was gone and Gannon was busy putting the stuff away. I surprised myself that I didn't notice the festival was over….

Chelsea took his offer to help her up. She reached out her hand and Will helped her up. I decided to stand up myself. Since the festival is over and all, I didn't find the point sticking around. Chelsea bent down and picked up the food basket that was there. I saw her search the Meadow, looking for someone. She stopped her search when she couldn't find the person she was looking for. Her attention went to me. I noticed that her eyes faltered a little, but she regained a look of indifference, excluding the small smile she held on her face.

"The basket belongs to Julia. Do you think you can give it back to her Vaughn?" she asked me.

I nodded my head in answer. She held out the basket to me and I took it from her. The basket didn't feel heavy; most of the food was gone obviously. I saw her look back down at the sheet, I did too. There were stacks of board and non-board games on the sheet, holding it down.

"Uh.… Those belong to Julia too. Can you-"

"Yeah, I'll bring these back too," I told her before she could finish.

She bent down to pick them up, trying to keep them from falling. She finally balanced them in her arms and held them out to me once she was standing again. I took them and carefully put them under my arm, glad that there weren't so many.

"Thank you Vaughn," she said.

I just nodded my head again. Once I was sure the games wouldn't fall, I looked back at her. There she was again, doing the same thing like before… staring at me. But, this time, I felt like she was giving me a look of sympathy and… something else…. I felt like she wanted something from me….

She then shook her head and looked elsewhere. That is when I finally noticed that it was a little dark out, and a few stars were littered across the sky. And I did the unthinkable— really, I didn't think it through when I asked her, "Do you need me to… take you home?"

I shouldn't have asked, not when her home is right around the corner from the Meadow. Not to mention, Will would have offered to take her home too. It's in his nature to do it.

Chelsea shook her at my question and said, "Thank you Vaughn but… I think you are already doing that…."

Puzzlement sunk in. I didn't have a clue what she was talking about. I looked at her eyes and I saw them moving behind me and back at me. She did the action again. What was she trying to imply?

So, I looked behind me and all I saw was Sabrina…. Her silent words finally sunk in.

"_Oh yeah…. I forgot she was there,_" I thought.

I guess I'll be accompanying her home instead….

"_Well, at least it's on the way to the Animal Shop._"

Will offered his elbow to Chelsea and said, "If you don't mind Chelsea, I'll escort you home."

She gave him a nervous smile, but she took his offer anyway, wrapping her hand around his elbow.

I looked away from the scene and turned to face Sabrina instead.

"Well, are you ready to go?"

* * *

**Sabrina's POV**

I almost fainted when Vaughn asked me, although not directly, to escort me home. I nodded my head frantically before he could change his mind. I saw one of his eyebrow's go up, but he didn't question my enthusiasm. He turned his head, watching Chelsea and Will, walking towards the bridge. He walked ahead, following them, leaving me behind. He stopped and turned his head, looking my way.

"I thought you were ready," he said.

I smiled at him, happy I wasn't forgotten this time. I also felt my face get a little warm. I quickly walked to catch up to his spot. He didn't continue his walk until he was sure I was at least nearby.

We walked across the bridge, and we stopped in front of Chelsea's house first. After all, her house was the closest to the Meadow.

Chelsea let go of Will's elbow, walked up to her door a little and turned to face us.

"Thanks for watching the fireworks with me Will. I… had fun," she said to him.

Will gave her a courtesy bow in return and said, "I enjoyed your company as well, Chelsea. I hope we can do something like this more often in the future."

She just gave him a small nod and then I saw her look towards Vaughn. I noticed how her eyes grew distant. I looked away from her to look at Vaughn. His eyes looked… glazed over too, as if he was in deep thought or seeing something only he could see.

I looked from one to the other, not understanding what I was seeing.

"_What's… going on?_"

It troubled me that I couldn't see what she was seeing. I tried to focus on his face, his eyes. But, I couldn't see beyond the color of them. I felt blocked out….

When I looked back at Chelsea, I realized she was the one to break their eyeful connection… she blinked. She shook her head, emphasizing that she was in a daze a moment ago.

"I-I'm sorry. I kind of…. Anyway, I want to thank you too, Vaughn."

"For what?"

I guess he snapped out of his own daze.

Chelsea didn't seem bothered by his rude question or by his tone.

"I…. Well, just for coming…."

I saw her bite her bottom lip. I could tell she wanted to say something else to him, but for some reason, she held back.

"Goodnight everyone," she said.

"Goodnight," Will and I said to her at the same time.

Chelsea gave Vaughn an look, waiting if he would say anything.

I finally heard him say, "Night…."

She opened her door and walked inside. Before she shut the door, she gave Vaughn one last glance… or maybe it was to all of us, I'm unsure.

She closed her door quietly and the clicking sound told us that she locked the door. I turned to face Vaughn, smiling up at him. He looked down at me, and he let out a sigh.

"Come on, you're house is nearby," he said as he continued to walk.

I followed beside him. I wanted this moment to last for as long as possible. Since my house wasn't that far either, I had to try to create conversation.

"Did you enjoy the fireworks?" I asked him.

"I don't like fireworks much, truthfully."

I wanted to sigh at his answer. I wouldn't be able to add on to the conversation with such a short answer he gave me. I could see my home up ahead, only a few more paces. I began to panic, and said the next thing that appeared in my mind, "What did you think of Chelsea's singing?"

I wanted to hit my head for asking that question. I have nothing against Chelsea it's just that….

I decided to answer my own question. I didn't think he would answer anyway.

"I think it was… fair. She could use a little practice though, to improve it I mean."

Vaughn remained quiet, and I thought he wasn't going to comment. However, I noticed his walking pace slowed down and he took a breath in that I could hear it.

"I thought it was… very nice…._**(4)**_" he muttered under his breath.

I felt my eyes widen in shock. I don't like talking or even thinking negative about people… but he really thought her off-key singing was… nice?

I saw Vaughn's eye widen too, as if he realized what he said shouldn't have been said. He quickens his walking pace, taking long strides. We reached my house in less time.

I walked up to the door and turned to face him.

"Thank you for watching the fireworks with me."

He shrugged his shoulders and said, "You're the one that asked me."

"I am grateful to you anyway," I told him.

He shrugged his shoulders again.

"Goodnight, Vaughn," I said to him with a small smile.

In answer he tipped his hat at me. I turned to open the door, unable to think of anything else to say to him. I opened it and entered. When I turned to look through the slightly opened door, he was already walking away….

I closed the door fully and turned around, ready to head to my room upstairs. I felt my heart reach my throat, my father scared me appearing in the hallway suddenly. I confirmed it when I squeaked and jumped back, my back hitting the front door.

"I apologize Sabrina. I didn't mean to frighten you," my father said.

I put a hand over my thumping heart to calm it.

"I'm fine."

"That's good. Now Sabrina, how was the event?" he asked me.

I knew he would ask that question.

"It was fun."

"Was you in the company of anyone? If so, did that company happen to be the opposite gender?"

"Father, if you don't mine, I would like to go to bed. It has been a long day," I said, completely avoiding the question.

"Of course, you do need your sleep. We will continue on this important conversation tomorrow."

I walked past him before he could change his mind. Even though I should be a little worried about tomorrow, I still felt happy about today's events. That Vaughn even agreed to watch the fireworks with me, for escorting me home, and for talking to me.

"_I can sleep happily tonight…._"

* * *

**Chelsea's POV**

I lay on my bed, looking up at the ceiling in the dark while hugging one of my Beanie Babies against me. I couldn't get what I saw out of my head. What I saw in those… alluring eyes….

I saw so much pain in them, the darkness, the anger, the chains… the blood….

"_What was all that I saw?_"

I was also wondering what made me go there, to that imaginative place. It wasn't a physical place, but it was somewhere within his head… right? A place on the spiritual plane maybe?

I hugged my Beanie Baby harder against me. Even though what I saw was frightening, it made me… curious too….

"_I want to know what I saw, what it means…. Why Vaughn only experienced depression in his life? Why is he so… angry?_"

I tried to think of an answer to my own question… but nothing came to me….

"_Maybe I should have known that there was something bothering him. As long as I have known Vaughn, which is not very long, he's was always frowning about something. He always keeps to himself and… has the strangest eyes I have ever seen…. His hair is strange, too. It's white or silver, colors I haven't seen as an hair color before, not naturally anyway… is his hair naturally white, silver or did he dye it sometime in the past? There could be a logical explanation for his hair color, but how do I explain his eye color? Unless he is wearing contacts, I don't have any thoughts on that….Not that I mind the color of them… I actually am beginning to like the look of them…._"

I loosened my grip on the Beanie Baby a little, being able to breathe easier. My body relaxed and a image of Vaughn's eyes and hair appeared in my thoughts. Even in my own mind, I felt… drawn to them, almost lured into some sort of trance….

My mind then did a rapid turn to his hair, as white as snow. Or maybe, as silver as the moon, that's kind of silver….

"_I wonder if his hair is as soft as snow…. No, probably not. Snow is very fluffy, cold, and snowmen can be created from them!_"

I giggled at the thought of being able to make Vaughn's hair into a snowman.

"_Long way before Winter though…._"

My mind slowly went back to the original topic. I felt my smile falter, turning into one of sadness and pity. My vision began to blur and my eyes felt more moist then they should. The top row of my teeth bit into my bottom lip, hard enough to make them swell later.

"_That endless darkness I saw, the chains, and the blood…. Why was there blood? Why was Vaughn chained? Why was there another Vaughn inside of him?_"

The more questions I asked myself, the more I confused myself. No answers came to me, not even ones that are illogical or unreasonable. I couldn't even come up with an answer that would be funny, enough to make me laugh and forget these pondering questions.

I felt the tears leave my eyes, falling down my cheeks.

"_Everything I saw in that place, made my heart ache; I felt a cold finger slide down my back, making me feel nothing but grief; it made me cry… for him…. I have never seen so much pain in one place, inside one person. I could see so much being carried on just his shoulders, carrying all of that alone. Doesn't it get heavy, sooner or later? Doesn't it become too much?_"

I switched the Beanie Baby into my left hand and used my right to wipe away the tears. To force them to stop. I took a sniff through my moist nose. I gently pet the top of the head of my Beanie Baby, as if comforting it. I did the action more so to assure myself. A small fire blared in my eyes, a fire of determination.

"_I want to know more about what I saw. I want to understand the meaning of them. I want to… change that view into something happier…._"

I turned my body, now laying on my other side. I squeezed the Beanie Baby against my chest, holding it closer to my heart.

"_Even though… I'm not exactly happy right now, not in these times…._"

I realized that I was serious on helping him. I don't know how, but the first step would be to talk to him more often.

"_Is that all you want to do? Help him? Are you sure you don't want— more?_" I heard my conscience ask me above a whisper.

My heart momentarily stopped beating, making me choke from the lack of air. My heart went back to the normal rhythmic beating.

"_Wh-what do you mean? There's nothing wrong with wanting to help, right? What more could I want?_"

"_I didn't ask that. I asked was that all you want? There isn't more?_"

I didn't understand what my conscience was trying to imply. I will admit that there is a burning curiosity in my stomach. My curiosity feels so great that I feel like I will explode if I don't quench it quickly….

I… will also admit that I feel like I am drawn to his… mystery side…. I feel like I am reading a storybook. That I am at the part, in the book, where I stop reading. Not because I want to stop reading, but because I have to. I have to wait until the next book, for the remaining information to be shared to me. Sometimes, even when I read the next one, I still don't know enough or I can't get enough. Just when I think I understood everything about the characters, sometimes only one, another curve is thrown at me. Most of the time, that curve sends my mind reeling. It makes me think about the past events I read and I begin to wonder if I understood the characters at all, if I really learned anything about them….

That is how I feel about Vaughn….

Maybe I don't have him figured out as well as I thought. Maybe I haven't figured him out at all…. I just thought… he was grumpy, hard working, and rather keeps to himself…. But, maybe there is more… much more that I don't know about…. Though, I have to wonder…

"_Will he share what I saw with me?_"

Only my surroundings answered me— with silence….

* * *

**Vaughn's POV**

I leaned my head against the wooden wall of the ferry and closed my eyes. My mind was still thinking about what I saw at the Meadow. About that… place…. It wasn't even a real place, it was a imaginative place, maybe it was inside my own head. If that's true, why would I imagine something so… out of the ordinary? I don't think about anyone or anything like that. And, I didn't see any of those things until I focused on her eyes…. I was forced into them though! I didn't look because I wanted to!

"_Are you sure about that? Weren't you absorbed into them, at least a little? Didn't you feel, at least a little, that you __wanted__ to look? That you wanted to know what was there? To see if you could understand the other side better?_"

I completely ignored my conscience. I wasn't in the mood for its philosophy ideas or something stupid like that.

I have to really wonder if the conscience is really mine. I don't usually think so much about anything. When I do, it's rare. I like things simple and straightforward. Things that are straightforward and simple makes it easier for me to understand, logical, with reasoning not far behind it. Usually once the logic sinks in, changes are hardly ever made, if at all. It should be like Math. Math is the same no matter where you are. A one will always be a one. Same definition everywhere you go, two and two will always make four. No matter how it's done, it can't be a different answer. It's a universal language, the same fact is true everywhere. Math, hardly, is about opinions.

That's how I see the world, and that's how I understand the world.

But… what I saw… wasn't straightforward nor simple, logical, and it has no reasons behind it- as far as I know.

"_What are the reasons? Why did I see those… things? They weren't formed memories, but they were glimpses of memories… her memories._"

To add on to my confusing problems… why did I let my guard down? Why did I allow her to stare at me? Why did I allow her to… _study_ me? She didn't study me with indifference, like some nut scientist would for a rat; only getting excited when a change occurs that will benefit them. No…. She was studying me as if… she was reading what was already there. She wasn't trying to be forceful. She didn't poke and probe or push to see…. No…. I think I….

"_I let her…._" I thought, as the answer came to me.

My eyebrows came down together. The familiar creases forming along my forehead, the fire I felt in my eyes, and the veins I felt pop along my neck.

I'm pissed.

I didn't like what I did. I didn't understand _why_ I did it in the first place!

"_Why?_" I thought, the question directed to me.

I felt one of my hands tighten into a fist and my face felt hotter than it should.

"_Why!_" I asked myself again, screaming inside my head.

Nobody answered me, not even my conscience. I wanted to let out a laugh at the stupid idea, and not one for comedy either. Hilarious isn't it? My conscience _now_ doesn't want to make any fucking comments. It's quiet now, silent like the dead.

"_So, it really doesn't know everything? When I actually want an answer, it wants to be quiet. Just great. Just. Peachy!_"

I banged my clenched hand against the wall. Not hard enough to break any bones in my hand, just enough to let this out.

I redirected myself to the single worded question, that just kindled the fire I felt inside of me, instead of making me think clearly.

I closed my eyes and began to breathe only through my nose. Trying my best to calm my mind down.

As the seconds went by, I felt my face begin to cool back to its normal temperature… and clearer thoughts came to me, other ideas.

"_Maybe I should be asking myself, why did she let me see those things?_"

Now that I am rethinking it over…. I don't remember feeling a push. A push to not look. Not even a wall was there to guard the secrets there. I remember only seeing the surface though….

"_What would I have seen if I had of looked deeper into her eyes? Would I have found the painful experiences there? Or would there have been more happy memories hiding there?_"

I put a hand over the other and I began tugging at my fingerless gloves. A stupid and small habit of mine when I am thinking, possibly nervous even.

"_I don't like this…. I don't like what happened…. And I don't like what the future could hold after this…. What would the future be like after this?_"

Only the constant rocking of the ferry greeted me in answer. The waves hitting against the side of the ferry, the light of the moon with the stars blinking back, and the groaning sound the ferry made when it moved.

No formed words came to me, to answer my own question. A whispered answer wasn't presented. I didn't feel the familiar tug in my brain, telling me that my conscience would answer.

Nobody answered me, not me, my own head, or anyone outside of it… I'm on my own…. And I knew what was going to happen tonight….

"_I won't be getting any damn sleep tonight, will I?_" I thought, as I began to feel a headache making its way to my brain.

Even that question wasn't answered.

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_

* * *

**AUTHOR'S COMMENTS/NOTES**

* * *

**(0) **_A Melody of Life_: The title of this chapter is taken from one of the Final Fantasy games, 9 to be specific. The name of the song is, 'Melodies of Life'. You can find this song on many sites, if you want to hear it. The song that Chelsea sung, please refer to **(3)**.

**(1)**_ I hate fireworks!_: I, truthfully, have no idea why Vaughn dislikes fireworks in the game. I can take a wild guess though. The best explanation I can give is that he likes dark colors, and since fireworks are bright- he hates them. Yeah, I know, not very creative. But really, no matter how many times I think about this, it makes less and less sense to me. I'm completely baffled.

**(2)** _What is that horrible noise!_: For those of you that didn't catch the reference (aka, a joke), this line is used in the Harvest Moon game (Island of Happiness). Except, this line was said by _Vaughn_. I know! Funny right! Anyway, Vaughn says this line when you see the first heart event between Denny and Lanna at the diner (or was it the café?). If Vaughn happens to be on the island _and_ inside the diner; he will say this line when you talk to him after the heart event between Denny and Lanna. If you don't have the patience to do this in the game, look for a video of it on YouTube. Last time I looked, I remember seeing it. Although, I can't remember if Vaughn uses the word 'horrible' in that sentence.

**(3)** _The song Chelsea sung [with lyrics removed]_: The song that Chelsea sung, although horribly in her voice, is from a game and sounds pretty nice. I mentioned the song came from a game in a past chapter (Chapter 5, _**(4)**_), but never which one and I did say that the song would be a little significant in the story. Well, this chapter is it.

The song is from the game Final Fantasy XIII. In the game, without telling you any significant spoilers, the song was for both the main theme of the game ('The Promise') and the theme for a character (Serah). And, here's the twist; in the English version of the game, this song plays in the background during a _**firework's festival**_! Now come on! What were the chances of that! First, this wasn't the song I originally had in mind. I was planning to use another song from the Final Fantasy series. However, after I discovered this song during the summer (long story); I realized that this song would not only be perfect based on the circumstances in this story, but the background of the song was perfect as well! Sometimes I really have to believe that I was supposed to write this story, too many things are happening that seem too— coincidental….. Anyway, so there you have it! A short history of the song and such. If you're a Final Fantasy fan, try the game out! The graphics are _amazing_!

Just to let you know, the game came out in America March 9, 2010. In Japan, it came out December 17, 2009. Chapter 5 of my story was released October 14, 2009. In other words, I really didn't know about the song at that time…. Unless I was predicting the future…. Wow, I have superpowers! No, really, I don't in case you were beginning to wonder.

**(4)** _… very nice_: I think there is evidence of Vaughn liking singing voices that are terrible in the game. If you refer back to **(2)**, notice that Vaughn said that comment on a heart event between Denny and Lanna. This, to me, tells me that he possibly hates singing voices that sound nice. At least, we imagine Lanna's voice is nice, since she's a pop-star and all. Anyway, if there is a small possibility that he dislikes singing voices that sound nice, there is a possibility that he would like horribly singing voices instead. There's nothing wrong with that. Just look at the movie, 'My Best Friend's Wedding' as an example… I think it was that movie….

[**POLL IS STILL UP!**] You're probably wondering if this is the same story, since nothing horrific happened. Don't worry, this is the same story; I just decided to give the characters a break— a short one anyway….

This chapter, I cannot say that it was easy to write neither can I say that this was what I had in mind or planned out. Truthfully, it looked better in my head…. Believe me, I looked over this chapter tons of times and rewrote sections like crazy… and that was tough to do during November (NaNoWriMo remember?). Also, I know it looks bad between Chelsea and Vaughn, but don't worry, it'll get better— in my own twisted way of course. These are just bumps in the road. Anyway, I don't, surprisingly, have much to write right now. So, I will end my comments now and you **can** expect the next chapter (Chapter 21) next Friday, December 10 around 3PM (Eastern Time). And yes, that chapter has already been typed; I wrote it in November, for NaNoWriMo. And yes, I made it to writing 50,000 words; it was fun while it lasted.

_**THANK YOU ALL FOR REVIEWING (And to those that read anonymously)!**_


	22. Chapter 21, Breaking

**Chapter 21, Breaking**

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**SUMMER 30TH – WEDNESDAY**

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**Chelsea's POV**

It has been three days…. Since the fireworks, since the memories I saw, since the tears, since the questions… since I last had a good night sleep….

I haven't been getting enough sleep, or rather, I can't sleep. It's already bad enough that I am living in a nightmare with the… fake omen going on. Having knowledge that somebody is purposely hurting the people on the island already takes a toll on me, more mentally then physically. I don't need extra on top of that… but…. When I finally do close my eyes to sleep, I end up waking up a few hours later. Nightmares haunt me at night. Sometimes my dreams are detailed and other times, they're quick flips of various images. Either way, they both lead to the same event that happened at the fireworks festival… of what I saw in those eyes.

"_I don't understand_," I thought, as I rubbed under my eyes, momentarily stopping my work of milking the cows.

They shouldn't be nightmares at all. They should be pleasant dreams about what I saw, about what it could mean. They should focus more on my curiosity to find out about what I saw, to come to an understanding…. But no, my mind had to focus on the most abominable parts, on the blood and chains. Leading to horrific nightmares surrounding those two things.

On the night of the festival, I had my first nightmare on this island; in my sleep…. Ironic isn't it? I came here to fulfill a hobby that slowly became my dream, but instead, I discover unfortunate events. First I have nightmares when I am awake, now I have them when I sleep or try to. When will this nightmare end? Will I ever have peace again?

My mind went to the first nightmare I had, making me completely stop my work. All of my focus went to keeping me upright while I thought of the nightmare.

The first nightmare I had consisted of Vaughn getting constantly bashed in the face. The person that was constantly hitting him in the face was concealed in shadow. Unfortunately, Vaughn wasn't concealed in shadow. It made me see every gruesome, bloody, abominably part. Every punch I saw, made me shiver in fear. Every bone I heard breaking in his face, made my knees clatter against together. Every painful groan he let out, made me suck in air and feel worry. Every drop of blood that came off of him, made a tear fall from my eyes. I remember telling myself to go help him, to run to him and stop it. But I was frozen to the spot in fear, I couldn't move! He was getting punched so much that his face soon became unrecognizable…. And there was so much blood that it made a puddle…. I tried to at least look away from the gruesome scene, but my eyes were glued. The longer I stood there, the more I couldn't take it. Finally, I did the next best thing. The only thing I could do— scream.

I woke up from my nightmare at that point. Never finding out what happened to Vaughn…. Not knowing if he escaped, no comfort if he survived the ordeal, or even if help came for him. I am left in the dark….

The nightmares didn't end there…. That was only day one…. The dreams that came after, were worst then the one before it. The nightmares became more grim, brutal, more— blood….

I shook my head, forcing the images of the nightmares away. I didn't need them in my mind now, and I didn't need the tears that would come with them.

I immediately went back to work, trying to the keep the nightmares away. I bent down on my knees to finish milking the cow.

"I'm almost done," I quietly said to the cow.

She mooed happily in reply and continued to move its head around the barn.

"_Now that I am thinking about Vaughn. Where is he?_"

Vaughn would usually be here around the time I arrive. But, when I arrived this morning, Vaughn was nowhere to be found. I saw Mark in the fields working, but Vaughn wasn't waiting anywhere. I first figured he would be inside one of the animal buildings, but I haven't seen him in the horse stable, the chicken coop, and now the barn. Nowhere to be found….

I saw his bloodied and bruised face from one of my nightmares appear in my mind. Even though it was there for less than a second, it was enough to send me spiraling in fear… and worry.

"_I wish I didn't go to the firework's festival._"

If I haven't gone I wouldn't be having these nightmares, taking the rest I need away from me. It's possible that the secret work I am doing would drive me over the edge, but at least I would get some sleep.

I finally finished milking the cow. I stood up and patted her on the back.

"Good girl…."

I put the milker back into my rucksack and picked up the metal tank. I brought it to the shipment bin inside the barn. Once I put it in, I turned around and put my hands on my hip, sighing at the other tanks I had left.

"_Well, at least my mind will be occupied..._"

I walked to the nearest one and I began putting them into the shipping bin, one by one.

* * *

I finally put the last one into the bin. I wiped my forehead, chasing the sweat droplets away. Just then, the barn door opened.

I looked away from the bin to see who came in. I saw the familiar brown toed boot. My eyes trailed up from them to the black pants, to the black shirt with a brown vest over it, and finally to the face; dark purple eyes looked back at me.

I lowered my eyes a little, to avoid looking at them. Just in case I was sucked into the mysterious pools of them again….

"Hi Vaughn…. It took you long enough," I said, forcing a laugh to come out of me.

When I looked up to look at him again, I almost sucked in a breath in surprise…. He looked— tired…. I could tell by the dark circles under his eyes. I thought that it could be from the shadow the hat made, but it looked more attached to his face.

"_He hasn't been getting sleep either?_" I asked myself, surprised with the fact.

I had to wonder what kept him up for the past few days since I last saw him.

"Hey to you too," he muttered.

His voice sounded tired too.

He looked around the barn for a few moments before he looked back at me.

"I see you did everything already."

"Yeah. I didn't want to fall behind too much," I told him, it being the truth.

He nodded his head once in understanding.

"Sorry I didn't come by on time. I just… had a rough week so far…."

"_What's keeping you up at night?_" I thought.

I wanted to ask him, even if it did seem rather rude.

"_Are you having dreams or nightmares like me? Are they as bad as mine?_"

Those were the questions I wanted to ask him, as a follow-up. But, I didn't dare ask him….

When my mind came back to reality, I caught him studying me, as if he was trying to figure something out. He caught me looking at him, and I heard him clear his throat.

"It looks like you haven't been sleeping…." he said.

"You look worse for wear yourself," I replied to him.

He looked down and let out a exasperated sigh.

"Yeah…. Anyway, again I'm sorry for not being here on time… for the last time," he said.

I didn't like the sound of that…. I felt myself concerned, but I felt my face give him an confused look.

"What do you mean?"

He didn't look at me, or answer as the seconds ticked by. All I could hear was my own breathing, and I could feel the tension building up, my stomach turning into knots.

He took care of the feeling by turning around, opening the barn door, and leaving the barn.

My eyebrows furrowed at his sudden departure. I'm not angry, I just became more confused.

I ran up to the door just as the barn door was closing, opened it and walked out. Luckily he didn't walk too far for me to catch up, but I still had to run.

Once I was behind him, I tried to get his attention.

"Wait Vaughn! Wh…"

Luckily he stopped, because I needed to catch my breath.

He stood there, looking at me as I caught my breath back. Once I was done sucking in air, I finally asked him, "What did you mean by 'the last time'? Wh-What does that mean?"

He avoided making eye contact with me. I saw him open his mouth, coming up with an answer that'll be logical to me, or to make me understand. But we were interrupted by a familiar voice, and he was riding his white stallion.

"Good morning Chelsea and Vaughn! Lovely day, is it not?" Will greeted us both equally in turn.

We turned to look at him at the same time as he rode up to us. He was completely oblivious to the conversation that he just interrupted.

"Uh…. Same to you Will," I said to him as Vaughn remained silent.

He rode up his horse beside us and looked from me to Vaughn and then back to me.

"I apologize. Did I interrupt something?"

"Well, ye–"

"No," Vaughn said, covering my own answer.

I brought my attention back to Vaughn, shocked twice on the same day. I could tell that he was about to walk away, to go elsewhere. Before he could get far, I asked him, "Vaughn, you didn't answer my question…. What did you mean by it?"

His eyes focused on my own, before they looked me over once.

"Your arm is fine, isn't it? Has been for awhile, right?"

"Yeah…?"

I saw him look from me to Will, and then back at me, "Well… that means you don't need me anymore."

He walked away after that, not stopping or taking a misstep anywhere. He definitely didn't look back as he left the property. I just stared after him, not moving from my spot. I feel like his words had a double meaning behind them, but I didn't know what the other could be.

Will had blinked his eyes, seeming to be unsure of what just transpired between us. He let out a sigh, looked at me, and said, "So… are you up for a ride?"

* * *

**Julia's POV**

I sipped the orange juice I just poured myself. I tasted the familiar orange tang on my tongue and my fingers lightly tapped the table I sat at. Mom was busy reading a book behind the counter, as if any customers would come by so early in the morning.

A ringing sound went throughout the store, including where I sat.

"_I guess I'm wrong,_" I thought as I stood up and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand.

I began to walk into the shop area, getting ready to greet the customer and to offer any services I could provide.

I sighed when I realized who it was.

"Thanks for getting me excited for nothing Vaughn," I told my cousin, showing exactly how annoyed I was with him.

I saw his eyes slowly blink at me once, as if he wasn't sure I was there. I folded my arms and my eyebrow rose up.

"And why are you late today?" I asked him, already knowing why he was late (helping Chelsea with her ranch work).

Instead of him being annoyed with my question, as I expected, he just shrugged his shoulders in response.

"I… woke up late…." he admitted.

I felt the unfamiliar feeling of shock appear on my face, and I could guess mom was having the same reaction. For as long as I have known Vaughn he was never late for work _once_. Even when he is sick, he'll still arrive on time or at least call ahead of time to let anyone know that he won't be in due to being sick.

"Vaughn, are you sick?" My mom asked him, concern lined along her voice.

"I'm fine," he replied, a little too quickly though.

I carefully looked him over.

"_He looks okay…. Maybe it's just one of those days? Wait, what's that under his eyes?_"

Once I figured out what they were, I almost gasped in horror. I meant to keep my discovery to myself, but I ended up speaking aloud.

"Vaughn! Are those bags under your eyes?"

Instead of him denying it or even sending a frown my way, he just sighed in exhaustion. Since I stated my thought aloud, my mom sent a look of worry towards him.

"Have you been getting enough sleep Vaughn? Are you working too hard again?" she asked him.

He shook his head in answer, and mom didn't believe him.

"You obviously are," she let out her own sigh, not sure what she should do about the situation.

This hasn't been the first time Vaughn would overwork, there were other times in the past. In fact, I can think of many….

"I'm alright, and I'm not overworking. I just… can't sleep as quickly as some people can," he explained.

I could tell from my mom's expression that she didn't believe him. Her eyes soften, turning into slight sadness. She looked at him that way for what seemed like a very long time. Vaughn didn't give in to her worry, remaining silent, and so my mom gave up.

"Okay, if you say so…." she finally said.

I decided to take over before my mom could change her mind.

"Are you hungry? I made too much scrambled eggs earlier. They're cold now, but still good if you want them."

I shouldn't have told him about my food, especially offering any to him. He _always_ insults my cooking and complain about the food. Telling me it's too hard, salty, burnt, and other negative comments about my food.

I felt my face heat up before he even responded, already knowing what he would say.

"Okay," he said.

I felt my mouth open, getting ready to argue a point about my cooking skills getting better. But, my mouth remained open with no words coming out, as his words sunk into my brain.

"Huh?" I said instead, stunned by his response.

He had walked past me and was in the kitchen/bedroom area without me realizing it.

"Where are they?" he said from the area.

I turned to walk into the area. He was standing in front of the table, looking around the room. I appeared beside him, still in shock from his response. I tried to talk, but I couldn't. So I made do with just pointing towards the counter.

He looked where I pointed. On the counter were the leftover scrambled eggs. He walked over to the counter and took the plate. He did it all without hesitation or drawing back his hand in mocking fear— so far anyway.

I raised an eyebrow at him at his odd behavior.

"_If he's trying to pretend nothing is wrong…. I wonder how long he'll keep this façade up?_"

He sat on one of the stools and put the plate of food in front of him on the table. I saw him pick up his fork and stabbed it into some of the eggs that were jumbled together. His wrist moved the fork towards his mouth. I watched every movement he made, making sure he wouldn't 'accidentally' drop them onto the floor. But the food did make it to his mouth. I even saw his mouth close around the fork and eggs, so he's eating it.

I sighed to myself, already knowing what would _have_ to come next. I couldn't help but watch his mouth move, chewing the food I made. I even watched his throat carefully, watching it go down. The seconds ticked by, and those seconds turned into a minute. By that time, he was already trailing another pair of scrambled eggs towards his mouth. The whole time, he didn't make one single negative comment about my food.

I waited longer, waiting for him to say something about my cooking— mostly in the mean and rude department.

But, as time went by, he still didn't say anything. I couldn't take it anymore.

"Well? Aren't you going to say something?"

At my question, he gave me a confused look. For the second time that day, I felt shocked. He dare give me a look of confusion! I should be the one confused by his behavior!

"Like what?" he said, sounding genuine confused and his phrase being a question with no mockery behind it.

"What do you mean by 'like what?'? I mean aren't you going to say something mean like you always do about my cooking?"

His face expression still held confusion.

"Like, aren't you going to say that the eggs taste dry? Or the eggs have too much salt in them? Or maybe not enough pepper is in them?"

His tired eyes stayed on me, unmoving.

He finally blinked once and said, "No…. I have nothing to complain about…."

At that, he went back to eating his eggs, as if nothing occurred between us. I felt like my jaw hit the floor. Instead of me demanding an answer about his odd behavior, I decided to try to figure it out myself.

"_Maybe there's a reason for his strange behavior, especially treating me nice all of a sudden,_" I thought.

I took a seat in the other empty stool at the table while keeping my eyes on him the whole time. I tried to think of the reasons behind his kindness, and nothing really came to me.

"_He has been nice to me as of late. Since the horse festival now that I think about it…._"

That's when an idea came to me, or rather a reason of why he was being nice to me. I couldn't help but smile at him, a very wide one.

He must have felt me smiling towards him because he looked up from his plate. His eyebrows were furrowed downward, but not in anger, in confusion.

"What?"

My smile widen at him and his eyebrows just sunk downward more. I stood up from my seat as he opened his mouth to throw some words at me.

"Oh Vaughn! You really do care!" I said as I ran to him and hugged him, while he was still in his seat.

"Wh-What the hell! What are you talking about? I'm just eating! And I thought I told you about this hugging business!" he said as he wiggled out of my embrace and lightly pushed me away.

He gave me a wary glance, wondering if I was going to do something else most likely.

"I don't even know _why_ you did that, neither do I really care to know," he commented.

"Now Vaughn, don't pretend not to care. I know why you have been nice to me lately."

One of his eyebrows raised in question, but he didn't say anything.

"It's because of what happened to me with the horse. You feel bad for me. You think that I have suffered enough and you have decided to be nicer to me," I said to him, feeling happy that he would do such a thing for me.

His eyebrows went even further up along his forehead. I squealed a little at my conclusion.

"I want to actually hug you again!"

I heard him scoff in disgust and he said, "I swear, if you do I will… you will just regret it."

My smile just widen. See? He can't even come up with a comeback. He _is_ trying to be nice!

He sighed and shook his head, "I'm not hungry anymore. So, I will get to work then."

He pushed the plate into the middle of the table and stood up. He headed towards the backdoor, opening and closing it behind him once he entered the area. I smiled after him.

"Thank you," I said quietly, hoping he heard me.

* * *

**Vaughn's POV**

I just know I'm going to get sick from eating those horribly, dry, and tasteless eggs.

"_Ugh! I shouldn't have ate them at all! I don't care how… less 'mean' it is to her, as she puts it,_" I thought as I felt myself shudder.

I kept walking and I almost tripped. I caught myself in time from hitting the ground. I immediately looked around the ground, trying to find what caused my fall… there wasn't anything on the floor. I brought a thumb and forefinger to my face, rubbing my eyes with them to chase away the tiredness. Of course it didn't work… like it didn't when I did it hours before.

I let out a tired sigh and leaned my back against the door. My energy felt drained already, even though I haven't done anything today. I was too exhausted to be angry towards the source that is responsible for my lack of sleep.

"_It's not my fault that I can't sleep peacefully now,_" I thought as I repeated the action of rubbing my eyes with my fingers.

Three days ago since that stupid festival, since the stupid happy memories I saw, since hearing that song, since my confusion, since my anger… the last time I had any damn sleep!

No matter what I did, I couldn't sleep! I tried tiring myself out physically, by jogging outside for a few minutes and cleaning the house. I tried watching a boring movie. I tried taking a cold shower to be forced under the warmth of the covers. I tried playing a card game with myself. I even tried counting imaginary sheep when I closed my eyes. _None_ of them worked!

Actually, it would be better to say that I would sleep, but not have a peaceful night of sleep or a full night of much needed sleep. I would wake up in the middle of the night and I would _stay_ up. Since that day, I have been having… strange dreams.

That is weird in itself. I don't dream, ever. I have goals and tasks that I work towards to complete them, not dreams. To top it off, I have been having the exact same dream every night. I've had it enough that I could easily vision the dream with my eyes closed.

When I had the dream on the first night, I thought it was strange on the idea itself. I decided to link the dream to something I ate earlier in the day, making my mind come up with the dream. But when I had the same exact one the next night… I couldn't connect it with something I ate. After I came up with various reasons that possibly triggered the dreams to happen, untrue reasons, I had to conclude that the dreams were connected to the festival; possibly connected to Chelsea herself… since she is in it every time….

I closed my eyes, and the dream immediately took over the darkness behind my eyelids.

I could see the familiar empty field I stood in. The grass under my feet was dry and brittle, as if it hadn't rained in weeks. I figured that I was on 'Sunny Island', it's the only place that I know of that has a large grassy field. 'Sunny Island' wasn't sunny at that moment, it was very dark. It wasn't the type of darkness because of a starless sky; it was an unnatural darkness. I could see myself walking, just going straight. It felt like I was walking in the right direction, so I kept on walking… until I reached the large lake. The only lake that I know of on the island was the Harvest Goddess lake; something I know due to that nun, Alisa, telling me herself.

From where I stood I could see a figure standing in front of it. Their back to the lake and they were standing at the edge. I always reacted the same way, even if I knew what was going to happen next— shocked at the person standing there. The person was none other than Chelsea. She was dressed in her familiar rancher attire, excluding the red bandanna. That was on the ground in front of her feet. She doesn't see me, never does….

She would cross her arms over herself, in the shape of an X. I would see her close her eyes and then she would fall backwards into the lake behind her. That would be the time I would run towards the lake and stop at the edge of the lake. I would just look down, never bothering to help her out or even consider the idea. When I look down at her form in the water, she would struggle in the water. Kicking her legs and flapping her arms wildly, as if she didn't know how to swim, how to get out, unaware of how she got there. Her eyes would be wide and she would continue to struggle against the water. But instead of her slowing down her fall, she would sink faster. She would open her mouth and bubbles would escape from them. I could tell she was running out of air, and out of time to get out…. Even through all of that, she still didn't see me.

I would bring my head a little closer to the edge of the lake to see where the lake's bottom would be at. But the bottom couldn't be seen, it was covered in the dark, indicating an bottomless pit…. She would continue to struggle and opening and closing her mouth rapidly… and I would continue to watch her descend to her own death.

And then I would wake up… not knowing what happens next in the dream. Not _ever_ knowing what happens next. I wouldn't know if she got out or not, if there was some miraculous turn of events. I don't even know if I changed my mind and helped her… that especially bothered me….

After I would wake up from the dream, I always asked myself, "_Why didn't I help her?_"

I could never figure out the answer to the question… and that's the main reason of why I can't sleep… of why I don't want to fall back to sleep, now that I think about it…. I don't want to think of the reasons of why I didn't help her, especially when she fell into the water….

"_Damn…. I need to sleep sometimes. I can't stay up forever._"

I thought of the only solution that would work… the one I have been putting off, simply because I find it dangerous to go with that option.

"_I have no choice right now…._"

I have no choice but to see Dr. Trent about my sleeping habits, my lack of sleeping. Hopefully he'll give me something that'll help me sleep… along with stopping the dreams from happening….

"Vaughn!" someone yelled.

I turned around, a little startled and surprised with myself that I was lost that much in my thoughts.

I didn't know when I stopped leaning against the door nor when I moved towards one of the animals.

Standing at the door was Julia, and she blinked at me with her head tilted to the side slightly.

"Sorry Vaughn, I didn't mean to startle you…."

"You didn't startle me! You just… came in while I was busy…."

She shook her head and asked, "Have you been sleeping at all Vaughn? I mean, you actually looked spaced out there. And as long as we have known each other, I have _never_ seen you space out. Sure, I've seen you thinking a little deep, but never space out completely that you don't know what's going on."

I ignored her rambles and theories about my behavior… although I agree it's odd. I don't space out… another thing to add on to my list of weird non-habits….

"What do you want?"

"My mom wants you to make sure you leave a few eggs for us. She also wants you to bring back more animal medication next Wednesday. We're low on the supplies."

I nodded my head in reply and she left, leaving me alone once again. I rubbed my eyes again, I really wanted to sleep right now.

"_Yeah…. I'm going to have to see Dr. Trent about getting something…. I need my sleep…._"

"_Even if it's possible that you'll dream?_" my conscience asked, the first time it has spoken to me in days.

"_… Maybe it's not worth that…. But, maybe he'll have something for it…. I hope…._"

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**FALL 1ST – THURSDAY**

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**Chelsea's POV**

I pushed up the lever, making the barn roof open to let fresh air in. I could feel the wind blowing into the barn and a leaf fell in. Since I was looking up, it landed on my nose. I sneezed and the leaf fell to the ground. I rubbed my nose with my arm and bent down to the pick up the leaf. The leaf was multicolor of red and orange, reminding me that Fall just started.

"_I have been here for about two seasons now…._" I thought, finding the discovery amazing.

"_Has it really been that long? Wow…. It feels like I have been here longer then that though…._"

I let go of the leaf and let it drop back to the ground. I looked around the barn, at all of the tanks I had to bring to the shipping bin… also reminding me of a helper I no longer had….

I sighed as Vaughn came into my mind. He was no longer helping me, and I didn't understand his reason… not completely….

I can understand if he stopped because he shouldn't be helping me with my work… but, he said he's not helping me because I don't need him anymore. He didn't say because he shouldn't be helping me….

"_I don't get it. If he thought that way, he shouldn't have offered to help in the first place…. Although, I still think there was more to his statement than he let on._"

I began to put the tanks into the shipping bin and my mind continued to wander.

"_I'm still curious about what I saw in his eyes…._"

I shook the thought out of my head. It's not like he'll tell me. In fact, he might think I'm being weird if I asked or even talked about what I saw. I highly think he noticed anything.

"_Why don't you ask him about what you saw? Ask him what is bothering him? That pain you saw wasn't a hallucination, it was real…. Something is there, you just don't know what it is…._"

"_I can't ask him about that…. Knowing him, he won't tell me anything,_" I thought sadly; never being able to find out about what I saw, about _him_.

"_You won't know until you try, right?_"

I didn't answer the question my conscience threw at me. Instead, I continued to put the tanks away until I was finished. Since my mind was now unoccupied, I had no choice but to answer the question.

"_I guess… it won't be so bad to ask Vaughn about it. Maybe he will tell me something. Anything to get rid of this curiosity I have_."

I let out a sigh, "_My curiosity will get me into serious trouble one day._"

I left the barn then, and looked around the field. Will wasn't seen anywhere so far, and Mark was working somewhere in his fields, planting new seeds for the season.

I'm not trying to avoid Will per se. It's just that I want to do this before he does come by for our ride on the horses later. It's what we did yesterday and that is what he would like for us to do today.

I thought it was safe enough to walk now, heading towards the exit. I made a mental note to myself to let Keeper out later today.

I kept walking on the path, not seeing Will so far. I kept on going until I reached the front door of the Animal Shop. I took a breath in and opened the door. The familiar sound of the bell rung throughout the shop. I looked around for the white haired man, but he wasn't anywhere as far as my eyes could see….

"Morning Chelsea!" Julia greeted me with a smile from behind the counter.

I greeted her with a wave of my hand. She motioned me to come to the counter, obviously to talk, but I wasn't here to talk to her… not now anyway….

"Hey Julia…. Where is Vaughn?" I asked her, deciding to get straight to the point.

She blinked her eyes at me and said, "Wouldn't he be at the ranch helping _you_ out?"

I felt my fingers twirl around each other, "Usually he would but… well, it's hard to explain…. I just wanted to talk to him real quick is all."

"Well, if he's not helping you he's probably in the back doing his work now."

I looked towards the door and wondered, "_Should I bother him while he is working? My questions could wait…._"

I looked back at Julia, "I'll leave him be. I don't want to bother him while he is working. I can wait."

She shrugged her shoulders at me.

"Okay, if you say so…. What were you going to ask him anyway?"

"Just something…. So, anything new going on?"

She started the conversation, but I wasn't really listening to her. I'm trying to figure out how I can ask Vaughn about what I saw… without sounding like I was demanding an answer or that I had full knowledge of what they meant. I don't want to offend him….

The minutes went by and Julia was stilling chatting away to the topic of her choosing. After I was about to lose my patience and go to the backroom anyway, whether he was done with work or not, the door opened.

My head whipped towards the door, and I could see his boot poking out of the door. Before the rest of his body followed. I focused on his face, and for the first time, I noticed something about him…. His hair, besides the obvious, partially covered his right eye. That he had bangs that were long enough to cover the right eye, hiding it mostly in shadow.

"_I never noticed that before…._"

He saw me at the counter, but he didn't say or do anything. He instead crossed his arms and leaned against the wall beside the backdoor. He then looked down, the shadow of his hat covering his eyes; the same pair of eyes that dragged me into them back at the festival….

Julia was oblivious to Vaughn's entrance, she was still chatting away to me. I decided to wait until she finished before I would go talk to Vaughn…. Although I was glad she wasn't finished. I still need to figure out how to ask him without being offensive.

I tried to focus my attention to the conversation, but my eyes wandered back to where Vaughn stood. Without being too obvious that my attention was still focused on him, I looked from only the corner of my eyes.

His head was still down, hiding his eyes; glad that he wouldn't catch me looking at him for 'no reason', as I'm sure he would put it. Taking advantage of this, I looked him over real quick… and I again noticed something about him. I blinked my eyes at my newest discovery.

When his arms are crossed like that, his shirt would tighten in a few places. I saw how his shirt hugged him tighter around his arms mostly. I could see a pretty good outline of muscular arms under the shirt. Giving me an idea that his arms strengthen due to the work he does. It also gave me a mental image of how that would look.

I looked away, embarrassed that I had such thoughts about him. I shouldn't say that… well, truthfully, I can't say otherwise about his… looks or physique. He's certainly not unattractive looking. He's the exact opposite of that.

Admitting to myself about his looks didn't lessen the heat I felt across my cheeks.

"What do you think Chelsea?" Julia asked me, waking me up from my uncomfortable thoughts.

"Uh…." I said, making it very obvious that I didn't hear a word she said.

Luckily she just noticed Vaughn.

"Oh! Hey Vaughn. How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough," he replied.

She then looked at me and asked, "Hey Chelsea, didn't you want to ask Vaughn something?"

Vaughn looked up from his position and looked at me, waiting for me to ask my question. I wish Julia didn't remember, because I still haven't figured out how to phrase my question to him.

"I… uh…."

I felt myself look around the room before I landed them back at Vaughn. He was still looking at me expectantly. I thought I saw his eyes flash, still waiting for me to say something.

"I… I forgot," I finished lamely.

He blinked at me once, making my face turn red in embarrassment.

"I'll… see you around Vaughn."

I turned to leave, giving Julia a quick nod of goodbye. I left the shop with the door closing behind me. I let out a sigh.

"Well, I blew it…."

I walked down the path, going towards East Town to head to the Hotel. I might as well talk to Dr. Trent about getting something for me to sleep.

"_And hopefully it'll stop the nightmares from happening as well…._"

The nightmares are getting so much worse. Now when I wake up from nightmares, I have fresh tears falling down my eyes. When I touch my pillow, it'll be wet and my eyes would be puffy and red when I look in the mirror. After I wake up from the nightmare, I can't go back to sleep; as I can't stand myself going back to the nightmare or dreaming of one worse than the one before it.

"_But what if it doesn't work? Whatever Dr. Trent gives me, what if it doesn't stop the nightmares?_"

I decided to push the problem away, deciding to not think about it now. I need to have my sleep, being a rancher and all takes a lot out of me. Even though I only take care of the animals.

I finally reached the Hotel and walked inside to go up to the counter.

"Excuse me, which room is Dr. Trent's?" I asked the lady behind the counter.

"His room is right there," she said as she pointed to the door closest to the counter.

I thanked her and headed towards the door. I lightly knocked on the door and waited for permission to enter. I didn't have to wait for long.

"You may come in!" he yelled through the door.

I opened the door a little, just in case he changed his mind. When I didn't hear any protests I opened the door fully and walked in. The room was like any of the hotel rooms; a table with tea set on it, a small dresser with a mirror attached to it, a plain picture, and two windows. Dr. Trent was sitting on his bed, writing frantically in some notebook while a opened book sat on his lap and another one was open beside him on the bed. He didn't bother looking up from his work.

"Morning Dr. Trent. Do you have a minute?"

He continued writing in his notebook. It looked like he didn't hear a word I said. I was about to repeat myself, but he responded before I could.

"Of course Chelsea. How can I help you?" he said, still not looking at me or stopping from his work.

"Well, I haven't been able to go to sleep at night. So, I was wondering if you had something that would help me."

He continued writing for a few more minutes before he brought his attention to me.

"Having trouble sleeping? Is there something on your mind that keeps you up at night Chelsea?"

"No. I just have trouble going to sleep," I lied.

He rubbed the bottom of his chin with his thumb and forefinger.

"Hmm…. How unusual…. Well, if you're having that much trouble sleeping, then I will prescribe sleeping medication to you. Just give me a moment to ask you a few regular questions," he said as he closed the notebook in his hand and picked up another.

"Now, are you allergic to any type of medication?"

"No, that I know of anyway."

"Have you been on sleeping medication before?"

"No."

"Are you on any type of medication now?"

"No."

I saw him taking notes in the notebook.

"Okay, one more question I have for you…. Have you been diagnosed with insomnia or any other sleeping disorder?"

"No."

He then tapped his chin with the end of his pen.

"Hmm…. Just to make sure that you don't have insomnia, I will ask a few additional questions."

"Have a go," I told him.

"Good, glad you're set. First, do you have a difficult time concentrating on your tasks, mostly during the morning?"

"Not really… a little recently, but that's because I was daydreaming!" I explained.

"I understand. Is your memory poor?"

"No."

"Really? Okay, tell what you were you doing Wednesday night, Summer 30th."

"I uh…. Wait, that was yesterday's date. I was at home, sleeping most likely."

"Very good. Finally, have you been feeling uncoordinated lately?"

"Uncoordinated? As in, tripping on my own two feet?" I asked nervously, as that does happen _once_ in a while.

"Um… close, but you're not quite there. I mean have you not had the ability to use, your hand for instance, to do a simple task. Have anything like that has happened to you?"

"No, nothing like that," I replied, sighing happily.

"Good! You have answered all of my questions. Based on your answers I am prescribing you a non-benzodiazepine sedative hypnotic sleeping pills; Eszopiclone," he said as he wrote down some more notes.

"You're prescribing me non-ben… what now?"

"I am prescribing Eszopiclone to you. The common name is Lunesta."

"Oh…. Anything I should know about this medication?"

I saw him take a breath in and he said, like a recorder, "By taking Lunesta the following side effects may occur; morning grogginess, drug tolerance, rebound insomnia, headaches, dizziness, nausea, and in rare cases, dangerous sleep-related behaviors such as sleep-walking, sleep-driving, and, sleep-eating. Since you do not, at this time and according to my analysis, have insomnia there is no need to worry about the insomnia side effects. However, please pay attention to the other side effects. If any of the other side effects become too severe please see me as soon as possible so that another and more appropriate prescription can be prescribed to you. Are there any questions?"

Everything he said was a lot to try to take in and I probably only caught a little more than half of what he said.

"That is a lot to remember. Can you repeat the side effects again?"

"The side effects will be listed on the prescription bottle itself. Are there any other questions?"

"Yes…. What if the medication doesn't work?"

"As I said, please see me as soon as you can. If needed, another type of medication will be prescribed to you."

"Oh, okay…. When should I take it?"

"It would be best to take it when you are getting a full night of sleep. In other words, please allow 7 to 8 hours for the medication to give you a full night of sleep. If you don't let the medication finish its course, you will feel very drowsy the next day and it would be dangerous to work while you are in a very drowsy state of mind. Luckily you do not work near machinery… do you?"

I shook my head at his question.

"Very good! Now, I will order this for you right away! It should arrive later today. Please come by around… 7 o'clock tonight. It should arrive by then."

"Thank you Dr. Trent, I really need my sleep."

"I couldn't agree with you more," he replied.

I was about to leave his room to go elsewhere, but then I saw him lightly scratch the top of his head.

"What a coincidence…. You're the second person this week asking for sleeping medication…. I wonder if there is a epidemic going on…."

_That_ caught my attention.

"Really? Who?"

He shook his head at my question.

"I can't answer that. Doctor and patient privilege, that information is confidential."

"_Well, I can guess at least. I only know one other person that seemed pretty tired lately…._"

"Well, thank you for your help Dr. Trent. I will now leave you to your work."

"You're welcome. Feel free to come by again in the future."

I gave him a thankful nod and left his room, leaving him to his work.

"_Huh…. So, Vaughn seems to be having a hard time staying asleep too…. Maybe I should talk to him, at least we have common ground on that…._"

I just need to figure out how to do just that….

* * *

**Vaughn's POV**

The strangest thing happened earlier today…. When Chelsea came by to… do something, I noticed a few things about her that I have never noticed before, such as the length of her hair. Something that is very obvious that anyone could and should notice; yet it was my first time noticing how long it was. It doesn't exactly reach her back, but it does reach her shoulders. It made me wonder how she did her work with her hair being in that form….

"_Well, I guess that would explain the red bandanna. It's probably used to hold back her hair,_" I thought, the idea making sense.

That wasn't the only thing I noticed. I also noticed her face expressions when she feels a certain way… a few anyway. The obvious one was nervousness. She would twirl her fingers inside her hair and her eyes would be cast down… at least, I took that as a sign that meant she was nervous.

My mind then came back to reality forcefully.

I could feel a pair of eyes staring at me, they held anger. I didn't have to look to know who the set of eyes belonged to.

I let out a sigh before I said to her, "What is it now Julia? You have been doing that since I began to eat."

Her eyes became thin slits, which made her face look more like a snake then human.

"It seems to me that you haven't gone over to the ranch today. You've finished your work earlier then usual."

Now I could lie to her to avoid this conversation. I knew the topic was going to pop up sooner or later, just not _this_ soon.

"Maybe that is because I don't think I'm needed over there."

"Did she tell you to stop helping her?"

I put the spoon back into the bowl, now empty. Maybe I should have eaten a little slower. Now I have no excuse of why I can't talk.

"Look Julia, I helped in the first place because her arm was broken. That happened back in Spring. Her arm has been fine since early last season. So technically, I have been helping more then I should have been."

"You are avoiding the question Vaughn."

I let out a annoyed sigh. I told myself to stay calm. I'm still trying my best to not upset her. Aren't I being nice?

"No, she did not."

"So, shouldn't that tell you that she appreciated your help? Possibly your company too."

I _really_ wished I didn't finish eating my porridge. At least I could shove my spoon into my mouth to avoid the whole conversation in the first place.

"That's beside the point Julia. Look, it's her job anyway. I was only supposed to help until her arm healed enough for her to do her work on her own. Like I said, that was early last season."

I saw her shake her head and then she said, "I don't get it. You seemed to be fine at the festival…. I mean… I saw _something_ going on."

I felt my own eyes become thin slits. I didn't like what she was saying. What would _she_ know about the festival? I was sure she didn't see me when I arrived….

"_Oh wait…. When I returned the stuff… damn! I shouldn't have agreed to bring them back to her,_" I thought, angry with myself that I messed up.

I refocused on the topic.

"What do you know about that?" I asked her, my words came out slowly and carefully.

"Ah-ha! See! You are admitting that I am right!"

"I didn't admit _anything_ to you. I asked you a question. Funny that you are avoiding it," I said to her, throwing back her own words at her.

"Well, if you want to be _that_ way. I guessed the oh-so-obvious, Vaughn. You were _staring_ at her way too long for it to be a 'glance'. _That_ is what I know!"

I let a scowl escape from my mouth. I tried to contain it, but she was really beginning to step on my nerves. Why can't she mind her own damn business?

"You're so _damn_ nosy Julia. Why don't you stick it somewhere else! Somewhere where it won't be so annoying would be helpful for everyone."

"And why do you have to be _so_ difficult! I—I…"

She shook her head and the anger she held was doused, just gone. I heard her let out a sigh.

"I just… really don't understand…. Any other person that experience something like that would want to be _closer_ to the person, _not_ _further_ away…. I just… really don't get it…."

I let out a scoff and said, dripping with sarcasm, "Well, I'm not like 'other people'. Am I?"

She furrowed her eyebrows at me for a moment, before her face soften again.

"No, you're not…. But, I'm still confused about why. Why are you… I mean…. Maybe I'm wrong…. I did see Sabrina sitting next to you at the festival…. No, I'm not; you were definitely staring at Chelsea…."

"Are you talking to yourself now? Figures, usually having an 'blonde moment' would lead to talking to yourself."

She didn't even bother to reply to my comment. She just sighed again and _looked_ at me. It wasn't a normal look, or even one of pity; it was disappointment, as if I did something wrong. I gave her my own look, the usual look of anger from thin slits and my mouth turned downward as much as possible.

"You act like I'm doing something wrong," I said to her.

"Now why would you think that? Do you think you are doing something wrong?"

"Don't try to be smart!"

I decided then that it was time for me to leave. Go somewhere else where I wouldn't have to deal with this stupidity right now, or ever.

I stood up from my seat and walked around the table, going past Julia to head into the shop area. Unfortunately Julia wasn't going to let me go so easily. I could hear her boots hitting against the wooden floor, quickly going tap-tap-tap.

"Julia, I _really_ don't want to hear your nonsense right now," I warned her, at least I tried to.

"Vaughn, all I want to know is _why_?"

I wanted her to go away. I wanted her off my back!

Now I was close to the door, standing in front of it. I turned away from it to face her. As expected, she was standing there. She looked at me expectedly, waiting for me to give her some sort of answer. Truthfully, it's none of her business; concerning my life overall or my thoughts.

I was just annoyed now, and I wanted her to just go away. I was thinking of the most obvious thing to say that'll make her step away from me within seconds. Usually I think through what I am about to say, at least a little. But my mouth beat my mind this time. The offensive sentence was already leaving my mouth before I could stop myself… and I couldn't take it back.

"Look Julia, why don't you do us _both_ a favor by taking that messed up face of yours and go bother someone that actually cares."

Truthfully, I didn't want to say something close to that. In fact, I was trying to avoid mentioning her face at all. But once again, my mouth beat the conscience side of me; the side that would have prevented me from saying anything as vile as that.

I didn't have to look at her expression to see her eyes drop, her eyes glazing over, and her mouth quivering. She was trying to control her tears from falling and her mouth from letting out any sort of sound that'll indicate the hurt my sentence struck at her; how much what I said affected her.

"Wait…. I didn't-"

Julia shook her head before I could finish apologizing. At least, that is what I tried to do….

"You know what Vaughn, you're right. It's probably just me being nosy. I guess I don't know anything. I mean, who am I to judge your life? So, I will just go to the back and make sure that everything has been completed."

She turned away from me and headed towards the backdoor.

"Now hold on Julia. I really wasn't trying-"

"I'll go find you if I need you for anything," she said as she opened the backdoor and went through it.

I let out a annoyed sigh and left the shop, slamming the door behind me.

"_Damn it!_"

There are very few times in my life that I regret speaking my mind first before I think it through. When I speak my mind, I usually don't give a damn about what I said to the other person. Usually what I say is spot right on or very close to the truth. Now, what I said at the shop was the truth. Julia's face really is… messed up. However, unlike the many other times when I speak my mind, this didn't feel…

"_…right…. Damn it!_"

I have to really learn how to think about what I say more often. By not doing so, I end up with the consequences.

I distracted myself by looking at the open mailbox by the front door. I could see a few things sticking out of it.

"_Looks like nobody checked the mail yet._"

I walked up to the mailbox and looked inside. I couldn't see what they were, if they were bills or anything like that.

"_Better see if there is anything for me,_" I thought as I took all of the mail out.

I know there were a few times that there was mail addressed to me. Usually Julia would give them to me….

I shook my head, forcing myself to not think about that right now. I shuffled the mail in my hands, scanning the sender address and looking for the letter 'V' for my name.

I didn't expect to really find anything in the mail for me… but I was proven wrong when I found not just one letter addressed to me, but _two_.

I stuffed the others not meant for me back into the mailbox. I glanced at the two letters in my hand meant for me, but I didn't open it.

"_I'll look at them later. Right now, I need somewhere to calm my mind,_" I thought as I stuffed the items into my back pocket.

I turned away from the mailbox and walked along the trail, trying to figure out where I should go to ease my mind.

"_The forest or the beach?_"

I was still debating which one, even when I reached the intersection.

"_Well, there is one way to settle this…._"

I took a gold coin out of my side pocket and looked at the bridge that would take me to the forest and then I looked at the entrance that would take me to the beach.

"_Heads for the forest and tails for the beach._"

I flipped the coin and watched it fall down. It landed in the palm of my hand, but I quickly flipped it over to my other hand; the top of it. I removed the hand that was covering the coin and looked at it. It was… tails….

"_I should have just picked the forest._"

I made my feet head towards the beach anyway. Not caring if I do happen to bump into that annoying fisherman or not.

"_I hope I don't. I really don't need to talk to him right now or see him._"

I finally reached the beach, going to the edge where the waves were hitting and where a very annoying white yacht was resting; blocking almost everything in the distance.

"_Annoying…. Why such a big ship for one person anyway?_"

It didn't make any sense to me. Why have so much room or a ship that looks so expensive? Not only is the ship blinding, sticking out like a sore thumb. It's so big that it'll attract unwanted attention.

"_How did he survive so long out there in the ocean? I'm sure he bumped into thieves a few times, if not something even more dangerous…._"

The thought really bothered me….

I looked away from the ship and my mind went back to what I said in the shop. I put a hand over my eyes and let out a sigh.

"_Maybe I should ask for an transfer before something else goes wrong._"

I wasn't just annoyed by what I said to Julia; I was also annoyed with Chelsea… if not a little…. If I'm not annoyed with her… I am definitely confused. I still can't figure out what I really saw at the festival.

"_Not to mention, the dreams don't stop._"

Even after taking the sleeping medication, the same dream still appears.

"_Well, he didn't say that it'll stop the dreams from occurring…._"

I put the palms of my hands against my head, putting pressure against the side of my head. As if that would stop my thoughts from thinking about the dream.

The water… the red bandanna… the horror in her eyes… the air bubbles… the endless fall… the struggle…Chelsea…

She was beginning to plague my mind, and not in a good way (is there really a good way?). She was inside of my head, lurking in the 'quiet' sections of my mind. She was like a virus, an illness that wouldn't go away. An illness that can't be cured either, not with medication or with logical reasoning.

"Damn…. What have I gotten myself into?"

"Don't know man. Would you like to share?"

I let out a groan and said to my visitor, "How long have you been there, Denny?"

"Since you came to the beach. You really didn't see me?"

What he said shocked me. Why didn't I see him? To add on to that, why didn't I feel like someone was nearby?

"_I'm losing it…._"

"So Vaughn, what's on your mind?"

"Nothing."

"That can't be right. If that was true, then you would have noticed me. It's rather odd that you haven't," he said, almost thinking of exactly what I thought a moment ago.

"Let me put it this way. I have things going on in my mind, but it's none of your business. Is that clearer?"

"_Ouch_! I think I actually felt that blow!" he said as he sucked in sharply, as if I punched him.

I let out another annoyed groan. As he usually did when I was annoyed with him; he just let out a low chuckle and shook his head.

"So…. How was the fireworks festival for you?"

"Boring."

"Really? Odd. I didn't see you leave after you saw me…."

"That's because you wouldn't let me go even if I really wanted to."

"Well…. It looked to me that you enjoyed the festival. Are you sure you didn't have a good time or something?" he asked me.

I let out another groan in answer.

"You know, Chelsea was here not too long ago. She was looking for you. She said something about talking to you…."

Again, I gave him a annoyed groan in answer.

"I see... It seems to me that you were worried about something. I mean, I have never seen you in a daze before."

"I thought I told you that's it's none of your business!"

I heard him let out another small and low chuckle.

"Vaughn, I know I like coming to the beach because it is relaxing. A peaceful place to be at, to calm the mind."

I tried to not look at him to not be obvious. But, I did anyway.

"Of course, it's also the perfect place to fish at."

I let out a groan and said, "Don't you _ever_ take anything seriously?"

He let out another chuckle and said, "My point is that you worry too much. If not that, you think too much. You seem to be too concerned of what was and what will or might be…."

He looked at Will's yacht, blinked his eyes once and said quietly, "There is a wonderful saying for something like that…. 'Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. But today is a gift. That is why it is called the present.**_(1)_**'"

He looked back at me and lightly smiled, "That is how I like to live. I, truthfully, can't stand thinking so much, especially about what happened already or might happen. What usually follows are 'what ifs'. Thinking that way just makes the feeling of regret stronger and self-confidence grow weaker. I live life to the fullest and only worry about today. Instead of fighting what I don't know, I just go with the flow… and I think you should do the same."

I had to wonder, at least a little… if Denny is something else, and not just some regular fisherman. Sometimes what he says is… spot on or very close to what I am thinking…. Who exactly is he?

I shrugged it off and said, "I didn't ask for your advice about anything. Not to mention, you don't even know what I was… thinking."

I noticed his right eye twitch a little.

"Man, I was just trying to help Vaughn, really. I didn't think I would annoy you by trying to help solve your problem. Or at least to ease your mind."

"Well, here is some advice from me to you. Why don't you take that fishing rod of yours and go work on your fishing skills. I think they're lousy."

I was taken aback when I saw Denny's eyebrows go downward and his eyes glared at me.

I briefly had to wonder if I was really looking at him. As much as I have known him, I have never seen him get... _angry_ about anything. And I have said plenty of things to him that might be on the offensive side. He _never_ became pissed off with me, no matter what I said to him. Always calm and sure about his words, and if I did happen to go beyond, he would just leave me alone to think... this isn't good, right?

"_Maybe I shouldn't have gone so far with the fishing comment and all…._"

"You… _take that back_," he said quietly, each word came out strained, as if he was trying to control something.

My eyes saw his body slightly shake. When I looked at his hands, they were turning into fists.

I had a choice, I really did. I could have apologized to him. If not that, at least _looked_ apologetic. Instead of doing either of those, I did something no normal person would do... I grinned, and it was meant to be mocking.

"Looks like I hit a nerve. Afraid what I said might be true? Or, maybe it _is_ true already."

I saw his body quiver a little, and his teeth were clenched. If I didn't know any better, I could have sworn his eyes were on fire. Suddenly, he stood up straighter and let out a breath of air through his nose. He closed his eyes for a moment before he opened them and looked at me again. The flames were gone, but the anger was still there.

He again did something that was more of my own trait, catching me off guard— he scowled.

"I can see that I am not welcomed here. So, I will go where I am welcomed."

He tossed his fishing rod over his shoulder. Not hitting Kuu, as he was resting on his head today. I forgot about the bird, but now that I noticed him; he looked pissed off too, most likely with me, like Denny.

Denny then turned away from me and quickly walked off towards his shack. I continued to watch him until he reached his door. He opened it and slammed it behind him, not even bothering to slow his steps or look behind him.

I brought two fingers to the side of my head. I moved them in a circular motion. I could feel a headache coming, and I was trying to ease it before it could worsen.

"_Damn…. Within minutes of being outside and I already pissed someone else off. One that is usually calm with me…._"

It bothered me at first, but that's when I began to see the other side of the situation, the good side for me.

"_If I am planning to ask for a transfer…. I might as well cut off all ties with everyone on the island…._"

Seems logical to me, and obviously a good choice. My conscience didn't even protest. I didn't feel an annoying tug in the back of my brain. So it must be the right choice, right?

"_You want to transfer that badly? Even though you were beginning to get use to the residents on the island?_"

Well, there's my conscience now. Guess my peace will be short lived.

"_It might be weird at first, once I transfer. But as I always do, I forget and just move on…._"

"_Are you running away? Seems odd of you to do that…. Are you trying to get away from the dream itself? Or from the person in the dream?_"

I ignored the question my conscience asked me and continued to wonder where I might be transferred.

"_I don't know where I would be transferred to… all of the other places are taken I think…._"

I will have to ask my boss where I can be transferred to.

"_Ignoring me again? Your dreams will not stop you know. Going elsewhere will just make the dreams worse, probably._"

This time, it was inevitable to ignore my conscience. It was too close to my own 'separate' thoughts.

"_Denny said she was looking for you. You think she changed her mind about talking to you, like earlier?_"

It was obvious that she wanted to say _something_ to me earlier. I could tell that it was something important, at least to her… possibly not so to me.

I was both curious and uninterested in what she wanted to talk to me about.

"_Maybe about her animals? If not about that, about helping her again?_"

I actually found the second question a little humorous. What would her excuse be if it concerned that? I'm not going to help because I was asked by her, but I would like to know the reasons behind it.

I felt the humor side of the situation fade as a more obvious and logical answer came to me.

"_What would I do if it's about the festival?_"

I definitely didn't want to talk about that. I still haven't figured out what I saw at the festival , what it meant, or what it could mean. Although, I have taken a few guesses… but I rather not further think on those ideas or make it complicated for me.

"_What if… it is about that?_"

I didn't like the idea.

"_She's already searching for me…. Where can I go so that I can avoid her all day? Somewhere I can go to be at peace, and to possibly get her off my back…._"

I thought of all of the places I usually go to. Unfortunately, she knew about all of those places…. Since she saw me once or twice at them…. Other places didn't come to my mind.

"_Damn…._"

I put a hand in my back pocket and felt something there. I pulled the item out. The item turned out to be the mail I took out of the mailbox earlier, two of them addressed to me. I looked at both of them and sighed.

"_Maybe one of these would get me out of here,_" I thought as I began to open the first one.

It wasn't a letter, it was an invitation to a… party, a ball.

I scoffed as I reread the invitation again:

⻳6⻵2⻵8 ⻴5⻳8⻵9⻴2 ⻳9⻴2⻴2⻵1 ⻴0⻵2⻵5⻴1⻴6⻳8⻴9⻴9y ⻴6⻵1⻵9⻴6⻵7⻴2⻴1 ⻵7⻵2 ⻳8 ⻳9⻳8⻴9⻴9!

⻱7⻵2⻵5 ⻳4⻴5⻵2: ⻳4⻴6⻴9⻴9⻴6⻳8⻵0 (⻳4⻴6⻴9⻴9) ⻳1⻴2⻵5⻵5y… **P**⻴9**y**⻵0⻵2⻵8⻵7⻴5 ⻲1⻵8⻵1⻴6⻵2⻵5 R⻴2⻴4⻴6⻵6⻵2⻵1 Ⅲ

⻳4⻴5⻴2⻵5⻴2: ⻲6⻵1 ⻵7⻴5⻴2 _⻱5⻵5⻳8⻴4⻵2⻵1⻴3⻴9**y**_ ⻴9⻵2⻴0⻳8t⻴2⻴1 ⻵2⻵1 **S**⻵8⻵1⻵1**y** ⻲0⻵6⻴9⻳8⻵1⻴1'⻵6 ⻱3⻴2⻳8⻴0⻴5

⻳4⻴5⻴2⻵1: ⻱7⻳8⻴9⻴9 **13**⻵7⻴5, ⻳1⻵8⻴2s⻴1⻳8y

⻳4⻴5**y**: ⻱3⻴6⻵5⻵7⻴5⻴1⻳8**y** ⻵3⻳8⻵5⻵7**y** ⻴3⻵2r ⻳4⻴6⻴9⻴9

⻳4⻴5⻳8⻵7: ⻳1⻴5⻴2 ⻳9⻴6⻵5⻵7⻴5⻴1⻳8**y** ⻵3⻳8⻵5⻵7**y** ⻶0⻵2⻵8⻴9⻴1 ⻳9⻴2 ⻳8 ⻳9⻳8⻴9⻴9. ⻲0⻵7 ⻶0⻵2⻵8⻴9⻴1 ⻳9⻴2 ⻳8⻵3⻵3⻵5⻵2⻵3⻵5⻴6⻳8t⻴2 ⻵7⻵2 ⻶0⻴2⻳8⻵5 ⻴3⻵2⻵5⻵0⻳8⻴9 ⻳8⻵7⻵7⻴6⻵5⻴2.

⻳1⻴5⻳8⻵1**k** **y**⻵2⻵8 ⻴3⻵2⻵5 ⻵5⻴2⻳8⻴1⻴6⻵1⻴4, ⻳8⻵1⻴1 ⻲0 ⻳8⻵0 ⻴9⻵2⻵2**k**⻴6⻵1g ⻴3⻵2⻵5⻶0⻳8r⻴1 ⻵6⻴2⻴2⻴6⻵1⻴4 **y**⻵2⻵8 ⻵7⻴5⻴2⻵5⻴2!

- _⻳4⻴6⻴9⻴9⻴6⻳8⻵0_

I shoved the invitation back into my back pocket. As if I would go to something that is dedicated to him! A party at that. Formal or not, I'm not going.

"_I hope I won't be forced to go either…._"

I decided to not worry about it now.

I opened the second envelope. It turned out to be another invitation to a party. I didn't have to read the whole thing to know who it was from or what the 'party' pertained to… or when….

I sighed as I closed Sabrina's tea party invitation and shoved it into my back pocket like I did with the other one.

"_Same time and day as usual, like last time. Today at 5PM…._"

I then realized that I now had a way to avoid Chelsea. The answer was handed to me on a silver platter practically…. But, should I really go there?

"_Which is worse? Confronting Chelsea or going to…._"

I didn't have to think twice which one was less worse. I gave Denny's shack one last glance before I faced the exit of the beach and headed out.

"_There would be no way she'll find me there…._"

* * *

**Sabrina's POV**

"I have to go. My boat to the city should be here," he said to me, his voice not being too rude.

I nodded my head at him. Still happy from his presence alone.

"_This is the second time he has come over! This must mean something, right?_"

"_I still find it odd that he came over suddenly. He wasn't eager before. What changed his mind?_" my conscience asked me.

I ignored my conscience words. I believe he enjoys my company. What other reason could there be?

I couldn't think of any.

"Of course Vaughn. I'll lead you to the door."

"I don't see why. It's only down the hallway…."

"I want to," I told him as I stood up from my seat and ran to the beginning part of the hallway.

He stood up from his own seat and turned to look at me. I could tell he didn't like it, but he didn't argue the point either.

I began to walk down the hallway. I could hear his boots against the tiles, following behind me. I reached the door first and I opened it wide enough for him to step out. I stepped out behind him and partly closed the door behind me. Leaving the door ajar.

I forced myself to look up at him and smile, "Thank you for coming by again Vaughn. I really find your company enjoyable," I said, not managing to stutter at all.

I saw one of his eyebrows lift slightly. I found it a little funny, but I didn't laugh. He might take my laughter as something negative, and he probably wouldn't find it funny even if I explained to him my reason behind the laugh.

He finally gave me a short nod.

I was about to ask him if he would come by again next Thursday, but someone walking on the stony path caught our attention. He and I turned our heads, towards the direction where the café and diner would be. It was none other than Chelsea. She didn't notice us at first because she was looking down and she seemed to be thinking about something. She stopped for a moment and looked up, now noticing us. I saw her eyes widen at first before she gave a small smile.

"Hi Vaughn…. I have been looking for you almost all day. Where have you been?" she asked him, her question not coming off as rude.

"None of your business," he replied, not a hint of humor behind it.

She didn't even flinch at his words, although I did. I don't like it when he's so… blunt with his words. Most of the time, they are rather rude.

"Well, I wanted to talk to you."

"About what?"

Chelsea looked down at the ground for a moment and I saw her fingers twirl in her hair. The ends of her hair being caught in-between her fingers.

"Because… I want to know what I saw at the festival, to try to understand it."

"Why?"

She looked back at him. Her expression full of… sorrow, but they were open too; as if she was ready to accept any answer from him, without judging the answer he gave her or even him….

"I will admit that I am a little curious and I want to get rid of it, but… I also want to know what it all means. How what I saw affects you and why… I keep thinking about it, no matter what I do," she silently admitted in a low voice.

I looked at Vaughn to see his own expression. It was a little difficult to see his own facial expression, since he was slightly turned away from me. Even though I couldn't see his face, I could still see his body posture.

If I looked close enough, I could tell that his body became rigid, stiff, possibly in shock.

"_Why is he shocked? Does he… feel the same as Chelsea?_"

I didn't have a chance to further my thoughts, as Vaughn's voice sounded through my ears, "And how are you so sure of what you saw? You could have imagined the whole thing… whatever you saw."

She shook her head at him.

"I know I didn't imagine it. I admit to spacing out but… I wouldn't do that while at a festival, especially a firework's festival. And… I didn't see anything until after I looked at…."

She stopped, not even bothering to finish her words.

I could still see Vaughn's body being stiff. But, I slowly saw him relax and he let out a sigh through his nose; I could hear it since he did it loud enough. I could tell that he was about to say something, but Chelsea wasn't finish apparently.

"Vaughn, at the festival…. Didn't you see anything when you looked at my own eyes?"

Vaughn went rigid again, and I could feel some sort of tension in the air. It wasn't suffocating me, but it did confuse me. Chelsea was looking directly at him and it looked like he was staring at her back. My own head moved, looking at one to the other.

I was about to guess what it could all mean, but it was short lived. Vaughn broke the connection when he shook his head and said, "I still think you didn't see anything. Even if you did… I wouldn't tell you anything."

This time, Chelsea reacted to his words when one of her eyes twitched.

"I'm sorry…. I didn't mean to bother you with the question I just…."

Her eyes shifted, landing on me. Her eyes widen, like before. Based on her expression, it looked like she just noticed I was there. I saw her eyes switch back to Vaughn, and I could have sworn that they drooped a little.

"Oh, I'm sorry…. It looks like I interrupted something…. I– didn't mean to bother you or… Sabrina. I will just– go home now."

She gave us both a quick goodbye wave and rapidly walked off to her house. Since it wasn't far from my own, she arrived at her front door in no time. I saw her open her door, walk in, and close it behind her.

Vaughn stared at the door a moment longer before he faced me. He looked unfazed by her actions, going by his blank face expression anyway.

"I guess… I'll see you again next week. Same time?"

I absentmindedly nodded my head at his question. I felt a little happy about what he said… but my mind was too busy thinking about what I just saw.

I turned to my own door, opened it, and entered my home. Once I was inside, that was when I realized I was rude by not properly saying goodbye to Vaughn. I hope he didn't mind….

I focused back at the scene I saw, and it made me wonder….

"_What did she see? I… don't understand…._"

I leaned against the front door and slid down against it, enough to bend my knees a little.

"_Vaughn was here for awhile…. How come when I looked into his eyes, I couldn't see or find what she saw? I looked at them plenty of times while I talked to him…._"

I felt like I was left out of something. That something possibly being wonderful.

"_Going by her words…. It seems to me that she might have seen… his soul…._"

I shook my head at the absurd idea.

"_But, I've only read about that in books. Is something like that possible? Can looking into a person's eyes lead to the soul? Not only that, she mentioned the festival. They were not sitting together when I arrived. I sat with Vaughn and she was with Will. We sat next to them, but that was all…. Although I remember Vaughn spacing out once during the festival and his face was close to…._"

Something akin to realization hit me.

"_But… that can't be right. Only a few seconds transpired between them…. Is that really enough time to view and understand another's soul?_"

I shook my head at the silly notion.

"_No, it was probably nothing. Besides, Vaughn seems to believe that it was nothing. That Chelsea was imagining things. If he believes that, then I will too. Also, it looked like he didn't want to be around her either…._"

I then thought about his reply and I felt my face brighten.

"_He said he'll be here next Thursday!_"

I felt the joy spread all around me. I couldn't have been any happier than this moment.

"_I still think you're being a little foolish, and I still think that he's up to something,_" my conscience told me.

I ignored it. I think it's trying to upset me over nothing. But not today, it will not dampen my happy mood today.

I felt my smile widen.

"_Not today._"

* * *

**Chelsea's POV**

I hugged my pillow to my chest and continued to stare up at the ceiling.

"_The medication is going to kick in soon,_" I thought.

I let out a yawn, "_It must be kicking in now…._"

I closed my eyes and thought, again, what happened not too long….

"_Why did he deny it? Did he really not… see anything? Did I really imagine that?_"

"_You and I both know you didn't imagine that,_" my conscience reassured me.

"_Then why didn't he want to tell me anything, or at least admit that he saw something when he looked at me… I know he did._"

"_Maybe he will when you talk to him alone._"

"_Maybe…._"

I rolled over to lean on my right side and I stuffed the pillow back under my head.

"_And… why was he at Sabrina's house?_"

I felt my throat go dry and my body ached. Not my body, my heart ached a little. In fact, it felt heavier. I felt like my body was buried deeper into the sheets.

I know something is bothering me, based on how I am feeling. But… I don't know why….

My thoughts were stopped abruptly when the world went black.

❖¤ ✧❖¤ ✧❖¤ ✧❖¤ ✧❖¤ ✧❖¤ ✧❖_xXxXx_¤ ✧❖¤ ✧❖¤ ✧❖¤ ✧❖¤ ✧❖¤ ✧❖¤ ✧

**FALL 2ND – FRIDAY**

❖¤ ✧❖¤ ✧❖¤ ✧❖¤ ✧❖¤ ✧❖¤ ✧❖_xXxXx_¤ ✧❖¤ ✧❖¤ ✧❖¤ ✧❖¤ ✧❖¤ ✧❖¤ ✧

**Dr. Trent's POV**

I waited at the lobby of the Hotel, doing a little pacing around the room.

"_It's taking them a long time,_" I thought as I looked at the clock on the wall.

"Doctor! You're up!" someone yelled behind me.

I already knew who the voice belonged to before I even turned to face her… or them rather.

I lifted a hand and waved at the two new visitors, "Good morning Karen and Popuri. How was the trip here?"

They dropped their suitcases to the floor, not caring that they slammed to the ground.

"Enough to make me feel dizzy," Karen said.

"Is it like being drunk?" Popuri asked Karen.

In retaliation to her question, Karen smacked the back of Popuri's head.

"Ouch! That hurt!"

"It was supposed to."

I shook my head at the sight, but I couldn't help but let out a small laugh.

"_It's nice to see a piece of my home here,_" I thought as I gave them a small smile.

Karen then blinked her eyes at me, as if she was bewildered about something. She then looked around the lobby for a few moments before she looked back at me with her eyebrows arched downward slightly.

"Hey, where's your suitcase?" she asked me.

It was my turn to give her a bewildered look.

"What suitcase?"

"Dr. Trent…. Have you really lost your mind here? Your vacation ended! Actually, it ended yesterday; you should already be home."

I shook my head at her in answer.

"I'm not going home."

"What! Why not?" Karen asked me.

"I can't abandon my patients," I answered truthfully and without thinking about my reply.

She blinked at me for a few seconds before she settled to staring at me. I think she was trying to change my mind, but I don't abandon my patients- for anything.

"Dr. Trent, you have been here since _Spring_. It's now Fall. That means you have been here for, yeah, two seasons. Not to mention, you are needed at home too."

"Elli can take care of everything just fine. She's doing a excellent job taking care of the people there."

"Look, we both know Elli is great at it, but she's not the best like you. Knowing Elli, you're worrying her sick. What will you do if she does get sick?"

"I rather not think about that right now, nor do I wish for something like that to happen to Elli."

I gave a tired sigh and said, "Karen, Elli already knows that I have patients here that need me. I explained that to her after the firework festival in Mineral."

"_At least, it was a part of the truth._"

It's true that I told Elli about having patients here to take care of, but I didn't tell her about the omen portion that Mark explained to me. If I did tell her, she would have probably found a way to convince me to return home.

"_And she can be convincing when she wants to be…._" I thought.

I saw Karen shake her head while Popuri just continued to stand there, looking at me, not stating her own opinions concerning the situation.

"Okay Dr. Trent. If you are really planning to stay here…. You better hope Jack doesn't hurt himself too much. You know he has a strange habit of hurting himself all of the time. Your special stamina stuff would come in handy. Elli doesn't know how to make it last I remember."

I let out a nervous laugh, "He looked fine before I left. Besides, I have that covered. I gave him enough bottles to last him for weeks before I left after the festival. I'll send him more if he needs them."

She sighed but nodded her head in understanding.

"Well, no use trying to convince you otherwise…. Anyway, since you know this place, you think you can tell me where a bar might be at around here? I need a drink."

"Didn't Mark give you a tour of the place? I mean, you have been here before right?"

She shrugged her shoulders.

"I forget things easily. So, why don't you recap that information to me now."

I had a feeling that she would ask me that.

"_She's not going to be happy when I tell her there isn't one here._"

I scratched the side of my cheek.

"There isn't a bar here," I told her reluctantly, wary of her reaction to the news.

I expected her to react in anger, but she just looked surprised with the news.

"Oh, okay…. Huh, I don't remember if it was offered before or not…. Well then, what places do they have here that offer alcohol?"

"Well there is… none. I'm afraid no one here offers alcohol."

"What! Not even grape wine?"

I shook my head at her question, "Not even that. Although grape juice and punch is offered here. Both are great alternates and, not to mention, more–"

"If you go all healthy lecture on me Dr. Trent, I _will_ hurt you," she warned me.

I rapidly closed my mouth before she could go through with that.

She let out a irritated groan and bent down to pick up her suitcase. She moved strands of her hair behind her ear and looked towards the lobby's counter.

"I guess I'll check in… and then I'll go search for a drink. There must be someone on this island that drinks," she said as she headed towards the counter with Popuri following behind her.

"_Well that went a little better than I expected,_" I thought as I sighed in relief.

I turned to head back to my room. I have to finish my research, finding new ingredients to improve the stamina product I created.

As I entered my room, I couldn't help but be worried for Karen and Popuri.

"_I hope they don't find out about the omen. If they do, they'll tell Elli and she'll find a way to get me off of the island… forcing me to abandon my patients, for the very first time…._"

I shook my head at the thought, "_No, I can't do that. I won't let it happen._"

But I was faced with a situation that I couldn't change. If this omen is true, as Mark told me, how can I stop something like that from happening? Or at least prevent it from reaching their ears?

"_There is nothing I can do, except hope it doesn't happen._"

I then remembered the Goddess pond located in the forest.

"_Maybe now would be the time to… visit the Goddess pond and pray. Maybe something will happen if I do._"

Even if my efforts turn out to be futile, at least I tried.

"_Please… don't let anything happen. Don't let Karen and Popuri find out._"

I didn't hear a reply to my thoughts, obviously. Although, I would have appreciated some sort of sign. That would have put me at ease.

Even with that small positive thought, I still didn't feel at ease.

**_TO BE CONTINUED…_**

**AUTHOR'S COMMENTS/NOTES**

**(1) **_Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. But today is a gift. That is why it is called the present._: The origin of this quote that Denny says is unknown, or rather uncertain. Different people had different ways of telling this quote. From Alice Morse to Emily Dickinson, this quote has been expressed in different ways. This is here to at least give credit to others. I sure as heck didn't come up with this. I'm just borrowing it. Seems to fit.

* * *

[**POLL IS STILL UP!**] Yes, this is still the same story. And, as you probably noticed, Fall just started in this chapter! I meant to give a heads up about that in the previous chapter, but I forgot, so…. Anyway, I know it _really_ doesn't look good between Vaughn and Chelsea, their relationship. But, as I said before, it'll get better in my own twisted way, in due time. All this are just bumps in the road. Just give it time. I know what I am doing; I just have to write them down…. Besides, if you read this far into my story, it probably means you're not going to stop reading anytime soon. Reading this far alone is at least 200,000 words and then some. So, you're obviously as patient as me. Hey, I have to write it, imagine the ideas plaguing your mind through daydreams and throughout the day. You have to be patient for that, to write and… sorry, got carried away….

Let's see… what else to mention? Strange, I can't think of anything else to say about this chapter… really odd…. Well, I **can** say to expect the next chapter (Chapter 22) next week. I know on my profile that I wrote an exact date and time, but don't count on it too much. I have a test around that time and I might/will not have time to post it. So, if you come by on that date around that time to read the next chapter, it might not be there. I might have it delayed on being posted. I already wrote the chapter out, I just have to send it to my beta-reader, reread it, and then post it.

**_THANK YOU ALL FOR REVIEWING (And to those that read anonymously)!_**

* * *

Ranting time! (has nothing to do with this story or harvest moon overall)

Wow, when was the last time I did this? Well, I am doing it this time because I am pissed, beyond angry (with a little sadness thrown in).

You know I still hang out in the BLEACH section of the fanfiction site, right? You know who my top OTP is, right? I don't need to tell you for the thousandth time right? Well, going for the thousandth and one time (XD), that would be Grimmjow x Orihime [such a twisted and angst filled couple]. Well, in that section, I decided to go read an old favorite story of mine. One that hasn't been updated since… 2007 I think (maybe before)? I look at my favorite list, it's not there. So, I figured maybe I, you know, forgot to add it to my favorites. So, I go looking for the story the old fashioned way. And you know what happens when I looked? I couldn't find it… _anywhere_. I searched the whole archive **_25 times_** in total looking for that favorite story of mine. I even used Google to search by title **_AND_** author. Still couldn't find it…. And you know what I concluded at the end of my search? The story was _deleted_. The thing that bothers me is _why_ it was deleted. That story alone was one of the best Grimmjow x Orihime stories (literally, even other top authors over there agreed)! It had, last I looked, **_over_** 400 reviews. Why, oh why, would the author delete it!

Next, I tried to look for the author's profile, since I knew her name and all. Maybe she provided answers on her profile. I couldn't find that either. So, she either changed her name or somehow deleted her account; both are possible to do….

I am so emotionally hurt that I feel like crying and punching something at the same time! I mean, maybe you guys don't understand, but that couple is seriously underdeveloped/ignored a lot. If you compare Chelsea's and Vaughn's section to that one, this one has WAY more than them. Other fans might prefer Ulquiorra x Orihime- I dislike the couple with a passion, due to the 'emo' dude (I don't like him for various/many reasons). If you like them, more power to you…. But, damn! No! NO! **NO!** Why would she delete it! I mean, I know it's incomplete and the last chapter (10) makes the reader want to go jump off a bridge or something (a cliff would be more accurate), but that's no reason to delete it! Many readers liked it- even non-fans of the couple liked it (due to her, she even converted some non-fans to become fans!).

For you curious ones out there, it was titled, "Doll Hospital," by anniefollowsthemusic (AKA Pink Pritstick); she stated her reasons for the title inside of her story; I will not explain, not my place to tell. The story was very angst filled and the characters personalities were spot on (main and minor). And of course, it was _very_ well written.

You know, writing a romance story with those two is difficult in itself; Grimmjow is a bad guy that is violent, a sadist, short-tempered etc., although he has his good points too and he has points that makes him… strange, possibly OOC due to certain things he did in the series/manga. He looks _really_ good on the outside, but he's **_seriously_** messed up on the inside…. While Orihime, on the other hand, is the complete opposite of him; the good girl, very nice to everyone and everything, very innocent etc. I mean, colliding them is like trying to put two of the same magnets together (negative and negative). If you can write a story, a romance one at that, about them and manage to keep them in character, you have some **_serious_** writing talent, because they are hard as hell to work with. And if you can manage to write one without it being _only_ about smex, you get even more points (you'll be surprised what some people think of Grimmjow; he's not just some mindless smex machine or only violent you know). *Sigh* It's already bad enough that I haven't seen or read (in the manga) about Grimmjow in… 3 years(?) since his last appearance. No new information from Kubo at all…. It makes me very sad. So, I obviously read fanfiction to keep him alive and to satisfy my 'Grimmjow deprived state'.

Despite all of this, I, luckily, have a copy of her story on my computer. Yeah, you might be asking me, "What I am complaining about if I have a copy of her story on my computer?". Because, now I'll never know how the story will end. Not only that, others will never have the chance to read that wonderful story***. I would have preferred her to have kept the story up instead of deleting it; even if she plans to never work on it again. At least I would have had the pleasure to reread it, along with others. It's just… sad….

*Sigh* One day, I'm going back there…. They need more love…. Maybe I should start working on that BLEACH story. I mean, I had it in my mind for awhile now…. *Sigh* I haven't decided yet…. But shoot, I need to refresh my memory on the facts of BLEACH, I kind of forgot half of it….

Well, my ranting is done for now. Longest one I have done so far, yes? Well, until next time everyone, thanks for reading!

***And no, I cannot and will not post her story online myself or share it with others. That's plagiarizing and wrong. She took it down for her own personal reasons, putting it back online would be going against her wishes— even if I disagree with them….


	23. Chapter 22, Hoodwinked

**Chapter 22, Hoodwinked**

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**FALL 8TH – THURSDAY**

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**Chelsea's POV**

I looked through my fridge for the third and final time, trying to find something for the Harvest Festival. Most of the ingredients in the fridge were still good to use.

"_I have to remember to ask Gannon to update my fridge. I would love to have the same fridge as Mark. The food in his never spoils. It'll save me time cleaning out the fridge too…._"

I had plenty of vegetables left, even from crops that grew in Spring. Though, they were beginning to lose their freshness and quality.

"_Maybe I can make something instead. And then dump it into the big pot. It's not like only my dish will be inside._"

I heard that Felicia is usually the host of the festival, but this year she isn't.

"_I don't have to guess why…._"

I sighed at the thought. Although, I'm glad the festival wasn't canceled completely. Pierre decided to take over.

I focused back on the task of finding something for the festival. I had about an hour to choose what to cook. Pierre mentioned that soup will be made with all of the ingredients the villagers bring. So it might be best for me to make a soup.

"_I don't feel like making anything that'll take too long. I need to make a soup that'll take only a few minutes,_" I thought as I continued to search through my fridge.

I found a few eggs, some cheese, and left over onions.

"I guess egg soup will have to do."

I took the needed ingredients out of the fridge and placed them on the kitchen counter. I opened the cabinet door to see if I had any flour left. Luckily, I did, about half a bag. I took the bag down and placed it next to the other ingredients. I found a pot big enough and walked to the kitchen sink to put water in it. It didn't take long to reach the half point. I put the pot onto the stove and set it to boil.

"_This should only take about… ten to fifteen minutes to make._"

* * *

"That wasn't hard!" I said as I dumped most of the soup into an empty bowl.

I didn't bother putting a spoon inside of the bowl.

"_Wait, I could have brought the whole pot to the festival and just put it into my rucksack for later,_" I realized.

I shrugged my shoulders at the notion. A bowl is still easier to carry at least.

I slung my rucksack over my back and then picked up the bowl containing the egg soup. I held it in one hand as I opened the front door of my house. I walked out and closed the door behind me. I immediately headed towards my mailbox and opened it. There was one envelope inside. I picked it up with my free hand and read the front; it was the bill.

"_It's time to pay already? I paid it on… the ninth last season. So, this is technically due tomorrow._"

I made an mental note to myself to pay it later today. I put it back into my mailbox and headed towards the meadow.

As I crossed the bridge I could see the large black pot in the center of the meadow, a fire burning under it. There were a few people hanging around the meadow already, chatting with their friends or others. I noticed the grass was a brownish color now, reminding me once again, that it was now Fall. There was a little wind as well, making this day perfect for the festival to have soup.

I looked for the familiar stand, something that seems to be set up for every festival that takes place on the island. I finally found it, and Pierre was standing behind it. I walked up to him, giving him a warm smile.

"Hello Pierre. I have my ingredient for the pot," I said as I held out the bowl to him.

He looked down at the bowl and slowly nodded his head.

"Thank you for deciding to participant. It will be placed inside of the pot in a moment," he said as he let out a depressed sigh.

I'm use to Pierre being a little more… happy. So I knew something was wrong with him when he didn't reply in an enthusiastic matter- especially if it is about food!

"Are you okay Pierre? You don't seem to be acting like yourself."

"_Not that I am in any better condition,_" I thought as last night's nightmare began to creep into my immediate thoughts.

Pierre let out another sigh and said, "It's just weird to not see Natalie around as much…. I have enjoyed the limited time we had together on the firework's festival, but… it doesn't seem to be enough. It really bothers me that we were happy, and it only lasted for a few hours at most. I feel more… gloomy as the days goes on. I _really_ hate the feeling."

He then leaned his head on the counter and rubbed his forehead against the wood of the counter.

I wanted to say something that'll lift his spirits, but I didn't know what could be said. What could I say? Say, 'Oh yeah, it's my fault. I didn't mean to have Natalie taken away from you like that. Cheer up though, it'll past over soon!' I don't think that'll solve the problem, his or my own.

I decided to say nothing to him. Instead, I turned away from the counter and walked away.

I stopped near the large pot and looked up at it. A ladder was placed against it, something to climb in order to drop the food into the pot. There was also something sticking out of the pot, a spoon maybe. I then decided to look around the meadow to view the people; see who I knew was here.

I saw Denny happily talking to Lanna, no surprise there. Eliza and Charlie were arguing, I could hear Eliza yelling at him about something while he would pout in reaction. Gannon and Chen were talking to each other, while also looking back at their children in the process. I laughed at the scene before continuing to look around for other familiar faces.

Dr. Trent was talking to two unfamiliar faces I didn't recognize. They were both woman, and one of them had pink hair.

"_Oh that's right! Karen and Popuri are here for vacation. Bad timing for it though…._"

I felt my heart beating faster and harder against my chest, the fear building up.

"_I don't even know who is going around doing these awful things. There are still too many suspects…._"

I shook my head and went back to looking around the meadow. I then noticed Mirabelle and Julia, and they were talking to each other as well.

"_I don't see Vaughn…._"

Being a Thursday and all, I figured he would be here as well. Though, I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't come and went straight back to the city.

I looked down at the ground and let out a sigh. I didn't bother trying to talk to Vaughn again about the dream. I didn't want to face him for a second time, not so soon anyway. Although, I do try to at least say 'hi' to him when I see him… and that's not much. If I didn't know better, I would think he is avoiding me, as if I was the plague itself….

I'm not annoyed with him for doing this. Maybe he needs to think about things or he is having his own problems and doesn't need me to pile others on him….

"Good morning Chelsea. It's a nice day for the first week of Fall. Don't you agree?"

I looked back up and Will was standing in front of me, as expected. He gave me a polite smile.

"Yeah. It is a little nice today. The wind makes it cold a little. Glad I'm wearing my jacket," I told him.

"I agree. Is this your first time participating in this event?"

"Yeah. I don't remember if I told you or not, but I arrived in Spring; almost a season before you. So, yeah, everything will be new to me, a first timer."

His smile widens and he said, "I'm glad. I wouldn't want to be alone."

"You're not alone Will. There are other villagers here as well. You should get to know them too."

"That sounds like a good idea…. Do you mind if I leave you alone for awhile?"

"I don't mind. I have someone I want to speak with anyway."

He smiled at me before he reluctantly left me alone. I watched him join Dr. Trent's group, and started a conversation with him.

I looked around the meadow again, searching for the one person I didn't see. Although, I saw other familiar faces. I saw Shea and Wada, they were away from everyone else, staying quiet. I noticed Alisa. I _rarely_ saw her outside of the church, and she was by herself, but she didn't seemed bothered by it.

"_I still don't see Vaughn…._"

I decided that thinking about him so much wouldn't be good for my health. I have to distract myself somehow.

"_I'll go see how Julia is doing._"

Julia was still talking to Mirabelle when I approached them.

"Hey Julia and Mirabelle."

"Hello dear," Mirabelle greeted me.

"Hey Chelsea. Enjoying the festival so far?" Julia asked me.

She still had those bruises on her face, but like before, she wasn't bothered by them.

"It's fine, thus far. Nothing has happened yet. How about you? How are you?"

"I'm fine."

"So, what do we do while we wait?" I asked her.

"Well, anything I guess. You don't have to be here now. You can come back later. It usually starts at 12."

"Oh…. Have either of you seen Vaughn?"

I saw Julia look down at the ground, not saying a word. Mirabelle noticed her expression.

"You still haven't told me what happened between you and Vaughn."

"_Something happened?_"

"It was nothing mom. We just… have things on our minds is all."

Mirabelle shook her head, not believing it, but she didn't push Julia for an answer.

I decided to leave them alone then. I turned away from them and walked off, not going anywhere in particular.

"_Maybe I'll go to talk to Alisa. I haven't spoken to her in a long time._"

My steps were halted when someone landed in front of me, on top of their broom. The rider gave me a smug smile in reaction to my own expression of terror.

"Hello Chelsea. It has been awhile since I last saw you. Hasn't it?"

I just nodded my head, not wanting the Witch Princess to know that she frightened me with the sound of my voice.

"Too shocked to talk?"

"Why are you here?" I asked her, trying to not make my voice sound shaky.

"Would you believe that Mark asked me to come to this festival?"

I almost shook my head in answer, but then I remembered that Mark is… _friends_ with her. At least, as far as I know….

"Truthfully, I came to see if I can convince anyone to throw a toadstool into the pot. I almost convinced someone last year to do it, but the host knew what it was. Maybe I'll be in luck this year…."

I felt shivers go up my spine. She must have sensed my goosebumps or something, because she gave me another one of her smug smiles. The smile was short lived, as it became a frown quite quickly.

"I see that annoying person is here."

"Who?" I asked, curious as I looked around.

"The one I wanted to turn into a donkey. I believe he was with you when I first saw him."

"_The one she wanted to turn into… wasn't I with Vaughn when she said that?_"

That means he's here!

I looked in the same direction she was, and he was there!

"_He's not alone…._"

He wasn't alone. He was quietly listening to Sabrina. She was saying something to him, and he just seemed focused on what she was saying.

I brought an hand to my chest, covering the area where I heart was. The exact same thing happened only a few days ago….

"_Why do I feel…._"

I must have been staring too long and being very obvious about it, because I saw Vaughn's head lift up a little, looking my way. He didn't look surprised. If he was, he didn't show it.

I stared at him, not moving. Waiting for him to do something first.

"_Don't stand here all day! This could be your chance to ask him,_" my conscience told me.

"_He looks busy right now…._"

"_You won't know until you try…._"

I sucked in a large amount of air and held it. I straighten my spine and walked to where they were. When I was close enough, I let out my breath and I was ready to greet them, but Sabrina spoke first- also gaining Vaughn's attention again.

"I will be right back Vaughn. I have to go back home, I forgot the ingredients for the pot."

She gave him a quick wave and a short smile before she turned to leave, looking very happy I noticed. I watched her leave before I turned to look at Vaughn again.

"Hello Vaughn."

He didn't even respond. He instead sighed, as if he was annoyed with me.

"Um, are you planning to eat some of the soup?"

He sighed again, but he added a shake of his head to his action.

I was about to ask him the question again, but he finally spoke, "You… are still trying to talk to me?"

I thought it was a rhetorical question, but Vaughn doesn't seem like the type of person to do that. Also, it he asked it in that serious tone of his.

"Well, yeah. I don't ignore people. I at least try to–"

"Why?"

I let out my own sigh and I wondered, "_Why did I come over here in the first place?_"

It's obvious that Vaughn isn't interested in talking to me, with him avoiding me and all. But, I'm not the type of person that people want to avoid. I have never met someone that wants to intentionally avoid me.

"I… because I don't give up."

"I can see that."

"Well… I just wanted to let you know that I'll be ready to talk anytime. I still want to share what I saw, and hear your thoughts. As I would like for you to do the same."

He didn't respond or react to my words. He instead looked around the meadow, his eyes stopping on someone. I looked in the same direction as him and I saw Denny and Lanna. Denny still had that cheerful smile on his face, until he looked our way. I saw his smile falter greatly. I saw his eyebrows arch downward momentarily, before he looked away and went back to talking to Lanna.

"_I have never seen Denny get… __mad__ before. In fact, I have never even seen him frown about anything._"

I turned to look back at Vaughn. Turned out he was looking down at the ground, at a random patch of brown grass.

"You two are not on good terms?"

"That's none of your business Chelsea."

"Okay…. What happened with you and Julia? Mirabelle said that something happened between you two. Based on what I saw earlier, after I talked to her, it looked like something bad happened."

"Again, none of your business."

"I understand if you don't want to tell me…. Can I admit something to you?"

"You do have freedom of speech, don't you?"

"Heh, yeah…. I just wanted to tell you that… I kind of miss your help on the ranch with the animals. I know I can do it on my own just fine, but when my arm was broken… I didn't just appreciate your help but… your company too," I finally admitted.

His eyes enlarged by a small fraction. I didn't have time to guess what he might be thinking, because they were back to normal size. His usual frown was on his face, though it looked a little loose; his expression being softer.

He shook his head and said, "I just don't understand you."

It looked like he wanted to say more, but we were interrupted by someone running up to us, Mark. He looked out of breath and alarmed. That look is beginning to become familiar to me, too familiar. I wish it wasn't.

"_No…! Not now!_"

Vaughn looked irritated too, and he seemed just as familiar with the expression as me.

"What's wrong Mark?"

It took me a moment to realize that I didn't sound afraid or in dismay. My voice almost came out flat, almost in a nonchalant manner. Am I getting use to this? These horrific events that are happening? Is this the way I am beginning to see life here?

My depressing thoughts were halted when Mark's gentle but stressed voice rung through my ears, "Someone or _something_ destroyed Sabrina's place. Possibly robbing her too."

"What!" I exclaimed.

"_How is that possible! Everyone was here… right? Where did Mark come from anyway?_"

Before I could ask him, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me along behind him. I could see Vaughn following behind us. Since Sabrina's house wasn't far from the meadow, it didn't take us long to get there.

Mark let go of my wrist and moved out of the way for me to look into her house. He wasn't exaggerating when he said Sabrina's house was destroyed. The outside of her house looked fine, but the inside… it looked like a storm went through.

I took a step inside of her house to look at the damages.

"_It has been a long time since I last visited her home…._"

Her house was a disaster. There were books all over the floor in the library and in the hallway. The bookshelves were turned over too. I took a few steps through the hallway, stepping over the books littered on the floor. The next room wasn't any better. Regis was on the phone, yelling into it, his face being very red as he looked at the damages around the room. This room had the couches turned over and torn, pillow fluff was scattered on the floor along with papers. The desk and table were turned over as well. I also noticed some sort of armor on the floor.

"_Must be from that display case in that corner._"

The display case was of course empty at the moment. There was a large fish tank on the other side of the room, but it looked fine. I shook my head at the mess and turned around to leave the room (Regis's office?). Vaughn was standing out in the hallway, still looking at the mess littering the hallway. It looked like he was deep in thought.

I heard rapid footsteps coming down the stairs, making Vaughn and I look towards the stairs at the same time. It was Sabrina, and it looked like it she was on the verge of tears.

"It is a catastrophe upstairs," she said in a low voice.

"May I go upstairs and take a look?" I asked her.

She nodded her head in reply. She moved to the side, leaving me enough room to walk by her. I ran up the stairs with others following behind me. Upstairs definitely wasn't any better. I could see that the room I was in had to be the kitchen, there was food covering the floor.

"_What a waste…._"

I know that there was a kitchen table, remembering the last time I was here. Of course, it was turned over along with the many chairs that surrounded it. They were scattered all over the place, making it hard to cross the floor to the next room, her room.

Her room was a repeat. There were books on the floor, a few were open with torn pages. Her desk, stool, and small chairs were turned over with the drawers on the floor, pieces of paper scattered across the floor. The sheets on her bed were pulled off and feathers were on her bed, ripped from her pillow. In the far corner, I saw her jewelry box on the floor, and jewels were beside the box.

"_Jewelry? Why are they there?_"

To me, that meant this wasn't a robbery. Since there are jewels on the floor, very expensive jewels I would say.

I recognized most of the jewels. The emerald, the diamond, the amethyst….

"_Were amethyst always purple?_"

I shook my head to force myself to focus.

"I apologize that you are visiting my room while it's in this… state," Sabrina said.

I looked her way and realized she was mostly directing that comment to Vaughn, who stood at the entrance of her room, still looking around at the damages. He didn't seem to hear her.

I actually became irritated… a little, I think….

"I'll help you fix everything up Sabrina," Mark offered.

Sabrina shook her head and said, "Thank you Mark for your offer, but there is no need to help. My father is ordering the maids to clean everything up right now."

"_All that yelling? Sounded like he was having a debate with someone on the phone to me._"

Mark nodded his head in reply and said, "Is there anything missing Sabrina?"

"We don't know yet. We haven't checked everything. If there is anything missing, I will let you know."

He nodded his head in reply again and said, "Then I will go to the meadow and warn everyone about a possible thief being around. Ask everyone to go back to their homes and check everything."

"Does that mean the festival is canceled?" Vaughn asked Mark, the first time he has spoken since entering the mansion.

"I believe it would be best to postpone it, for now. If there is a thief around, it might be best for everyone to be safe inside of their homes. Based on what I am seeing, this thief isn't being subtle about their past whereabouts…." Mark replied.

He looked around her room once more before he turned and left.

"_I guess that means I'll go home too…._"

"I'm sorry that this happened to you Sabrina. Will you be okay?" I asked her.

She gave me a nod of her head. She then turned her head in Vaughn's direction and said, "I'm afraid you can't come by later today Vaughn. Due to this unfortunate event."

Vaughn shrugged his shoulders, obviously not finding it a big deal. Although, it bothered me to a certain degree that he agreed to come by here so much…. I didn't feel angry, but the feeling felt close to that….

I gave Sabrina a forced wave of goodbye and left her room. I raced down the steps, walked past Regis's office, into the hallway, and out the door. I headed towards my home without looking back, feeling… like I was trapped….

My feelings did a 360 turn when I was close to my front door…. It was mostly open!

"_No.… No!_"

I went into a dead run and opened my door fully. What greeted me was worst then what I saw inside of Sabrina's house.

Everything was messed up. Things were ripped, thrown on the floor, knocked over, and other things.

"_Maybe nothing went missing in her house because my own was robbed first!_"

I couldn't believe that nobody heard any loud sounds. Everyone is right in the meadow and nobody heard a thing? It made no sense to me.

I let out a gasp as I realized what valuables were most likely stolen.

"_My laptop!_"

I ran to my closet and looked inside for it. I pushed some of my clothes aside, searching for the familiar laptop. I sighed in relief when I saw the familiar square shape. Without wasting another second, I opened the laptop and turned it on. The extent of the laptop's condition became known to me when I read the white words, 'ERROR LOADING. ERROR KGXWLUV x3699.'

"NO! My backup information!"

Besides using my journal to record my findings for the investigation, I used my laptop to have a backup copy.

"_My laptop has never done this before! What happened to it!_"

I didn't know what to do. I tried pressing random keys. I even tried the 'Alt, Control, and Delete' buttons together. Nothing I did worked.

I improperly shut down my laptop and closed it. I decided to leave it there, and I left my closet.

"_What about my journal?_"

I headed towards my bookshelf, while looking towards my bed to view the damages.

My steps came to a abrupt stop and it was becoming hard to breathe. I felt like a cold finger touched my spine and my heart was forcefully pulled to my throat, making it stuck. I felt my mouth quiver, as my eyes were glued to the words sprawled on the wall above my bed. I tried not to scream, I really tried. But the words themselves, and what made them; I couldn't contain the bloodcurdling scream I let out.

"Chelsea! What's wrong! What's going on!" a familiar voice asked me from my door.

I felt myself shaking, I couldn't stop it. My mouth tried to open to form words, but my mouth kept stuttering. I was still in shock and I could feel my legs weakening, falling to the floor. I forced my knees to bend and I pointed to the wall, to the words written above my bed.

"_That_!" I finally yelled.

I could hear footsteps against the wooden floor, and they were getting closer to me. I didn't know who it was, until that person had a loose grip of my arms and turned me around to look at them.

I blinked my eyes at him, making me almost miss the slight concern in his violet eyes. But when I blinked again, the concern wasn't there anymore. Did I imagine that?

"What are you talking about?" Vaughn asked me.

I didn't look towards the wall again, I didn't want to look at the words written in blood again. Instead, I pointed to the wall again.

"Those words… on that wall…. Whose blood is that?"

Vaughn looked where I pointed. I made myself focus on his face only, watching his facial expressions. First I saw alertness on his face. Then I saw his eyebrows arch downward, at a different angle, the expression different from his usual frown; this wasn't a frown, this look was a confused expression.

"_Have they always done that?_"

Another thing I never noticed about Vaughn before, to add to my list….

The sound of his voice snapped me out my slight daze.

"Chelsea…. What words?"

"What do you mean what words!" I nearly yelled in his ear.

Doesn't he see the threat made to me in blood. The words that read, "YOU'RE NEXT! HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO DIE?_**(1)**_"; a smiley face was next to that, as if it was a joke. The words were written neatly, as if they were asking how was the weather today. Not a single word looked like it was written with an hesitant hand.

Vaughn shifted his eyes down to look at me and quietly said, "Chelsea… there isn't anything there. No words or blood…. Are you sure you're okay?"

I looked towards the words on the wall again. They were still there, along with the blood. I quickly looked away, feeling sick to the stomach. Since I didn't eat anything though, there was nothing to empty.

"You… don't see it?" I asked him, trying my best to calm down.

He looked at the wall again, but after a few seconds of saying nothing, he finally shook his head.

"No Chelsea, I don't see anything there…." he admitted again, not even trying to hide what he saw.

He let go of my arm and stood up.

"I'm going to get Dr. Trent. You… just stay here, don't move," he told me as he turned away from me and left.

I watched him go through my door, leaving it open. I kept my eyes on the open door for a little longer. I felt like I went into a daze, into my own little world.

"_He didn't see anything? Maybe… he needs glasses? Dr. Trent will settle this when he gets here._"

A knock against wood made my brain come back to reality. Everything became clear again, and I saw Dr. Trent at my door, with Vaughn behind him. Dr. Trent gave me his professional smile and he said, "Hello Chelsea. How are you feeling?"

"I'm… okay…."

He looked around my house for a moment before he stepped in.

"You didn't do all this to your house, right?" he asked me as he stepped inside of my home, approaching me.

"No. Someone else did."

"Oh…. So your house was destroyed too, like Sabrina's?"

I nodded my head in reply. He picked up a stool from the ground and put it back in its upright position. He sat in it and he waited for me to stand up. I pushed myself off of the floor and stood in front of him. He took a pen out of his pocket and he pushed on the clicker, that annoying sound played over and over in my head.

"Now Chelsea, Vaughn told me to come by because he… seems to be concerned about your health."

I didn't have the energy to give Vaughn a glare.

"_What else did he tell you?_" I wanted to ask, but I kept it to myself.

"Chelsea, I want you to look at that wall and tell me _exactly_ what you see. Please don't leave any details out," he instructed me.

I shook my head and said, "I don't have to look at it again. I already know what it reads and what it was written with. Do you not see what I see?"

"I know you probably already read it, but I want you to look at it again and read it to me. Based on my observations, I'll be able to analyze your health on an accurate scale and I'll be able to solve your problem to the best of my abilities."

Feeling too tired to argue with him I looked towards the wall where the words were scrawled. The words were still there when I looked, so was the blood.

"Do you see it, Chelsea?" he asked me.

"Yes."

"What exactly do you see?"

"Words… written in blood…."

"What do they read?"

"They say… all letters are in caps, 'YOU'RE NEXT! HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO DIE?' and there is a smiley face there…."

I quickly looked away from the wall to look back at Dr. Trent. I bit my lip, to prevent myself from collapsing on the ground in tears.

Dr. Trent looked baffled for a moment, but he nodded his head, as if he believed me.

"You say you see the words in blood…. Do you smell anything right now?"

I took a sniff of the air, but I didn't smell anything except the autumn air.

"Blood has a copper like smell. Do you smell anything like that?"

I shook my head in answer.

"Okay, good. That means it's only limited to your eyesight."

"It?" I asked, confused.

"Chelsea, what you are experiencing is a hallucination, a delusion."

"I am not crazy," I said, feeling the heat reaching my cheeks.

"No Chelsea, I know you're not. It's a possible side effect from the medication I gave you._**(2)**_"

"You… never mentioned that side effect to me."

"I know, and I am sorry for that. I believe I didn't mention it because it's a rare side effect. It only happens if someone is under a high amount of stress or anxiety. And well, based on what has been going on for the past two seasons, I can see why you are in this state. I should have mentioned it earlier. Once again, I apologize for my lack of judgment."

I looked back at the wall, but the words were still there….

"The hallucinations can last for as long as a few hours to a day. I can't prevent them from happening, but I can give you advice. I want you to relax for the rest of the day. I'm sure you want to fix your house, but make sure you don't think about the reasons behind it, of why it happened. I want you to think of happier times. Don't think of anything that will upset you. Can you do that?"

I gave him a nod of my head. Still not believing that I am hallucinating this.

"_Am I going crazy? Medicine or not, he says it's rare. Why is it happening to me?_"

He stood up from his seat and said, "Okay Chelsea. If you need me for anything else, please don't be afraid to see me."

He gave me a light smile and then he turned and left, going past Vaughn.

Vaughn didn't say anything until he was sure Dr. Trent was gone.

"So… you're taking sleeping medication too?" Vaughn asked me as he leaned against the doorframe.

"Yeah. I haven't been able to go to sleep…. Wait, too? You're taking Lunesta?"

He looked away from me, but he reluctantly nodded his head in answer.

"You haven't been getting sleep either? Why?"

He shook his head, but I answered for him.

"Let me guess, it's none of my business."

He just sighed in answer.

"Well, I better get to cleaning. I have a lot to fix… and to worry about…."

I decided to start with the flipped table. I grabbed the edge and flipped it back upright. I could still see Vaughn leaning against my doorframe, unmoving.

I kept fixing my house, trying my best to ignore him, but being unsuccessful with the attempt. I was about to ask him what he wanted, but he spoke first.

"You're not the only one…."

"The only one what?"

"With… seeing things that are not really there. I did… once."

I stopped my work to look at him, "Really? What did you see?"

He shook his head, "I'm not telling you that. I just wanted you to know that it's not just you."

I almost smiled at him. It looked like he was trying to be nice, in a indirect way though.

"I feel a little better," I told him as I went back to my work.

I saw him push off of the doorframe, getting ready to leave.

"I'll see you next Wednesday… I guess…. Unless you're going to be at Will's birthday party."

"Why? You going?"

"Yeah…. Dr. Trent said to relax. What other way is there to relax then to go to a party?"

"By not going."

"Well, I like birthday parties. So, I'm going."

Vaughn sighed for a moment and said, "Maybe I'll… see you there. But don't count on it."

He then left, quietly closing the door behind him.

"_I still can't figure out how did the person break into my house without breaking an window or the door. It's like the person just walked in!_"

That's possible, but only if I… left the door unlocked…. Did I lock the door?

I searched through my memory, and realized that I did not lock my front door today. I forgot to do so.

I felt like hitting my head, but doing so wouldn't have changed anything.

"_How can I be so stupid!_"

I pushed the anger away, trying my best to stay calm. I don't want to hallucinate anything else. Although, another thought came to me.

"_If this was a robbery, why didn't the person steal anything from my house?_"

In fact, my laptop is still here. It's not working right now, but it is here.

Based on the valuables in my house and Sabrina's, nothing of value was stolen. Sabrina's jewels were still on the floor, that armor I saw in Regis office was still there (it looked ancient), and other items of value were left alone. I had a growing suspicion that these events were not robberies….

"_Maybe the person was looking for something specific…._"

If that's the case, there might be one item missing from someone's home.

"_How many others had their homes broken into?_"

A knock at my door stopped my thinking cycle.

"Come in!"

I could hear the door creaking open and a head poking in, the blue cap and familiar spiky blonde hair gave them away.

"Hey Chelsea. I saw Dr. Trent leave your house and I couldn't help but be a little…"

I saw him look around my house, now noticing the damage. He opened the door wider and took a step inside.

"They got you too?"

"It's looking that way."

"Do you need help?"

"No thank you. I would like to do this by myself, to keep myself busy for the next few hours."

"Is anything missing?"

"Not so far."

"That's good. Well, I don't mean it's good that your house was destroyed, but it's good that–"

"I understand what you're trying to say," I said as I went back to picking up stuff off of the floor.

"Well… I'm going to check in with everyone else. See if anyone else had their place trashed or if anything was stolen. Are you sure you'll be okay?"

"I'll be fine Mark, but thanks for asking…. Now, you should probably go check on the others. Let me know if anything happened at the Animal Shop."

"I will…. I'll see you later, and I'll tell Will that you're okay too. He was a little worried as well."

He gave me a wave of goodbye and left, closing the door behind him.

I picked up another book off of the floor and put it on the shelf. I looked at the many other items I had to pick up, and sighed.

"_This is going to take awhile…._"

* * *

**Witch Princess's POV**

"_What idiotic human would __dare__ enter my home! Not only did the idiot trespass, but they turned everything over!_"

I let out at angry yell and kicked the nearest book by my foot, sending it flying across the floor. Not that it went far, the floor was littered with other books that were opened and broken glass from my potions. I balled up my hands and I felt them turn into fire. Wait, they _are_ on fire!

Somewhere in my mind, I made a mental note to myself to not touch _anything_.

"When I find out who did this I will send them to the worst dimension there is! No! In fact, I'll send them to hell myself!"

All of the broken glass bottles on the floor, my potions— destroyed! Most of those potions I made myself, some of them took years to make! The ingredients are scarce as it is, especially where I am at right now!

"I'm going to grab that idiot's neck and twist it farther than an owl's can go!"

The fire in my hands died and I looked around the floor for the book that would have a 'cleaning spell'. I found the thin book on the floor and picked it up. I read through the contents, looking for just that one spell. With a snap of my finger and muttering a few words, everything went back to its original position, excluding the potions from the broken glass bottles. The liquid was still on the floor along with any broken glass.

"_Damn it! This is exactly why I need to figure out how to see time again! If I could, I would already know who did this! __Oh__ when I find out…!_"

I closed the book I held in my hand and walked up to the correct bookshelf, now upright. I put it back in its proper place.

"I better make sure everything is here," I said as I began to slide a finger across the spines of the books.

I knew the shape and amount of books on my shelves like the back of my hand. I could close my eyes and vision each book's shape, title, and touch. I closed my eyes to make it 'easier' to imagine the books. Seeing if anything is missing.

After a few minutes, I didn't feel any books missing.

"_Now to check for the final book._"

I walked to the bookshelf on the far left. I moved three books out of the way, and I reached a hand to the back of the shelf, searching for the secret compartment. It's not much. The secret compartment is nothing but a hallow cover, created to blend in with the color of the bookshelf. It's almost invisible to the eye, unless someone touched it or stared real hard and see that thin line, it shouldn't be found easily. I moved the fake piece out of the way and reached a hand inside of the small dark hole. My hands were still searching, sending me into confusion.

"_Strange, the book should have been here…. Maybe it's further back._"

The only problem is that there isn't really a back. There is a wall behind the bookshelf, and there isn't much room behind the bookshelf either. With that conclusion in mind, I began to panic, my hands searching frantically in the small space.

"_It's not here! It's __not__ here!_"

This isn't good.

"_But how! Nobody knows about this spot!_"

This thief wasn't an ordinary thief, couldn't be one. This thief had to take their time to find this spot, had to know the book had a meaning. The thief had to know what they were searching for…. The thief had to know that the book would be useful to them as well as dangerous. It's only useful if….

In a fit of rage, I slid my hand across the bookshelf, knocking down other books onto the floor.

"_Maybe it's behind another book._"

I began to knock down other books to the floor, looking behind them. After doing this for a few minutes, I couldn't find the familiar small book.

"_It's gone…. It's gone!_"

I turned away from my bookshelf and looked around the room.

"_Maybe I misplaced it. Maybe I put it somewhere else?_"

I wouldn't put a book as valuable as that out in the open. That book can't be brought.

"_I'm going to be in serious trouble if I don't find that book. If __they__ find out…_"

A knock on my door interrupted my thoughts.

"Come in!" I yelled in irritation as I looked around my house again.

The visitor opened my door and stepped in. The voice told me who my visitor was.

"Hello Witch Princess. I just came by to see if everything is… you did this?"

I turned to face Mark, scowled, and said, "No you idiot! Some other idiotic human destroyed my potions, trespassed on my property, and… stole a book!"

"You're missing an book? Only one?"

"That's what I said."

"Well, I'm sure you can easily replace it. I mean, you have a lot of other books…."

"I can't replace it! That book can't be brought! It can only be given and it was my responsibility to watch it!"

He put up his hands, palms open and said, "Okay, I didn't mean to say it like that. I can see that the book is valuable to you. What was the book about?"

"It's not a normal book. It's _not_ the type of book to read for your enjoyment! That book has the… dangerous spells in it, along with the consequences."

"Aren't all of your spells dangerous?"

"A little, but the ones in that book are beyond the little ones I be doing. There are spells in there on how to _create_ storms. Another spell involved mind controlling."

"Mind controlling?"

"Yes! And believe me, there are many worse ones inside of that book. I… can't tell you much more than that, I probably already said to much to you… but that book is important and I have to have it back!"

"I want that book found too. What does it look like?"

"It's a small pocketbook-like book. The book is black and it has writing on it. The writing is in _my_ language, so it might look like gibberish to you."

Mark gave me a nod, "I'll see what I can find out about it. What were you thinking with leaving a book like that out in the open?"

"I _didn't_ leave it out in the open! The… thief somehow found its hiding spot."

"Well, I'll do what I can. Let me know if you find it."

Mark then left, silently closing the door behind him.

"_Great! Now I have two problems! I can't look at time or do any other time type spells and now my black book has been stolen!_"

I kicked the nearest pile of books on the floor and yelled, "Damn it!"

"_If they find out… if they find out…_"

I didn't want to think about the consequences. I have to search for it, try to find out who took my book.

"_When I find the little thief I'm going to turn them into a bug and smash them with my shoe!_"

I looked at the books, littered on the floor again.

"_What spell can I use to help me?_"

I couldn't think of any. My mind felt foggy, too foggy, and my anger about the situation wasn't helping.

"_I hope that the thief doesn't know what he or she stole, what can be done with it. Maybe the thief will sell it on the black market or to some nut job that likes strange looking books… or somewhere in the city…._"

Without wasting time, I snapped my fingers while muttering the needed words for the cleaning spell. This time, all of the books were put back on the shelves and the broken glass was put into one corner while the liquid gathered itself into a floating liquid globe.

"_What was the name of that city? Mark said Chelsea was from… Flower City? No, it was something else…. Flour? No, still not right…. Flourish City? Wait, it was the City of Flourish? Yes! That sounds right! I'll start there!_"

I don't think the city is far. Should only take me ten minutes to fly there. Although I have to be a little subtle, not many people will be fond of someone flying.

I picked up my broom and fixed my cape on my shoulders.

"_I will find that book and I will get that thief if it's the last thing I do!_"

* * *

**Chelsea's POV**

I was sitting at my table, looking at the last book that belonged on the bookshelf. This book, like a few others, had words missing from it. Words from certain pages in the book were cut out. I haven't found the missing words anywhere on the floor or inside of the other books. I have checked the other books with a careful hand and eyes. But the missing words were not there….

"_Why did the person cut out certain words from various books and take them? What is this person going to use them for?_"

It made absolutely no sense to me. Breaking into my house just to cut out words? Is it the same at Sabrina's house?

I went through my memory. I wasn't focused on the books when I was at her house, I glanced at everything. I can't even remember if I saw little holes inside of the books.

"_I might have to ask Sabrina about it…._"

I closed the book and sighed as I wrote the title of the book on a piece of paper, joining the other titles I listed earlier in the day.

"_Another book I have to buy again…. Maybe I should consider buying a alarm system for my home…._"

That was something I never thought I would have to do while staying on the island. I expect robbery to happen in the city, but not on an island that is peaceful. Nobody here has anything of value to steal, excluding Will's yacht and Sabrina's jewelry… Mark's saved money too…. I wonder if he was robbed instead….

What I didn't understand was how did the person do it? How did this person have so much time on their hand? Didn't anyone see them do it?

"_This doesn't make any sense…._"

I stood up from the table and grabbed the book. I put it back onto the shelf, but I let it lean on its spine; in order for me to tell the difference between the other books that are not missing words. As I turned around to head back to the table, my eyes caught sight of the journal. The journal I have been using to record the horrific events, that held all of my thoughts for the investigation.

I sighed, but I did pick up the journal and brought it with me to the table. I sat at the table and put the journal on top, now just staring at the cover.

"_I have been so caught up with… the festival event that I forgot about the investigation. I forgot enough to not focus on it…._"

I'm beginning to have my priorities mixed up. _This_ should be first and foremost. The meaning of dreams and that… 'vision' I saw at the festival shouldn't be on the top of my list.

"_Well, there's one way to get me to focus again._"

I slid the journal closer to me, and opened it. I began to read the information on the first page, which was a profile on Denny based on my observations of him.

I kept turning the pages, speed reading through the profiles. I finally reached the section where I described the events that happened thus far.

"_What if the person that broke in is the same one that caused the events?_"

I shook my head, answering my own thought.

"_No, it's not possible. A festival was held today. Anyone that visited from the city could have done this. While everyone else is at the festival, the person broke into people's homes and took whatever… or made it look like a robbery…._"

I felt like hitting my head against the table. There were too many possibilities of why the person destroyed my place and Sabrina's. I don't even know if there are others that are in the same state, Mark hasn't gotten back to me about anyone else….

"_Well, I'll write about the event anyway…. Wish I have taken pictures before I cleaned up, that would have been proof enough._"

I turned the pages, looking for the next blank page. When I turned to the pages that should have been blank; one wasn't.

I felt my heart go to my throat. On the page were the words used from the books that were cut out. The words were glued on the page, carefully done to make sure they were aligned next to one another. If it wasn't for the lines on the page itself, I would have thought the page was printed. I began to read the words on the page:

'Hello C. I bet it took you until nightfall to find this note. My, you are a little slow.

After looking over this journal, I have to say that your journal is quite organized, full of helpful information. Although, I do have a question. I have to ask, what would the residents of the island think if they found out? That you suspect each of them to be responsible for these horrendous crimes. Crimes you have no proof of, only your writing and imagination is your proof. If you could ask me, I would say that it is not much to go on.

Maybe you think I am nervous about your investigation. That I am afraid that you will find out who I am sooner or later. You are wrong. On the contrary, I am excited. This is a challenge to me, a game.

You like games, right? If you are too slow to catch up, what we are playing is a game. Will you be able to guess what will happen next? Will you catch me on time? Who will win? You or me? We shall see, right?

Nice to know what you are up to. Now, let us continue this game, shall we? Also, don't worry. I will not tell you who I am. Where would the fun be in that if I did?

Let us play, until the end.

At least, until death do us part.'

I dropped the journal as if it burned my hands. I backed away from it, until I bumped into the edge of my bed. My hand went to where my heart lay, trying to calm it down. But it wouldn't, it couldn't, not after reading that.

"_No…. The criminal knows…! The criminal knows! What do I do?_"

Of course the criminal isn't nervous! It knows that I don't know who _they_ are.

"_But they know who I am…._"

I felt like crying and screaming at the same time. How did I let this happen!

"_This isn't good. The criminal could strike anytime! Finding a way to get rid of me! The vicious person could be planning that right now! In fact, the person could be watching me right now!_"

With that thought in my mind, I ran up to the window and looked out of it. Since the island doesn't have lights or anything of the sort outside, it was pitch black, excluding the small illumination from the moon and stars (not much to see anything). I looked around the path and at all of the buildings near me. I didn't see any lights on coming from any of the buildings. There wasn't a single person walking along the path either.

I moved away from the window and sat back on my stool by the table.

"_Of course I'm not going to be watched now. That would make it too easy for me, according to the criminal's logic…._"

There would be no doubt that I will be watched though…. Watching me struggle with the investigation. Watching me jump in fright at every shadow. Watching me struggle to not go to the police. Watching me… lose my mind….

"_The sicko…!_"

I covered my eyes with my hands, trying to keep the waterworks contained.

"_Maybe I should go home,_" I told myself.

I would be safe. I wouldn't have to worry about someone hurting me. I wouldn't have to worry about these events anymore…. Nobody would be angry at me anymore, or get hurt because of me….

But that's running away if I do that….

"_Well, I have a little time to think about it…._"

I removed my hands and blinked my eyes, chasing the formless tears away. I made a mistake by looking towards my bed, at the wall…. The words in blood were still there…. Then I remembered what Dr. Trent told me.

"_Wait… what if I am hallucinating that note…._"

I wasn't sure which idea was more frightening, or less frightful. If the note was real or if it was a hallucination. Which would relax my mind more? Which would drive me over the edge?

I turned in my seat to face the table again. I picked up the journal and opened it to the page again. The note was still there, and it looked real.

I put a hand on the page and slid my hand along the words. The cutout words felt a little bumpy, not flat like the rest of the paper, telling me it wasn't joined with the original page. The note felt real.

"_It has to be real. It __has__ to be._"

"_What will you do if it isn't?_" my conscience asked me.

I dropped the journal to the floor and started to hit the side of my head, hard enough to scrabble my brain a little.

"_I am not crazy…!_"

I tightly closed my eyes. My eyes begun to sting. and then I felt my cheeks begin to get wet.

"_I am __not__ crazy!_"

I could see the words of the note flashing through my mind. Today's event flashed behind my eyelids…. And the 'vision' I saw at the festival even went through my mind.

"_I am __NOT__ crazy!_"

I couldn't hold in my voice anymore. I had to scream, to let out this pain and frustration.

"I AM _**NOT**_ CRAZY!"

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_

* * *

**AUTHOR'S COMMENTS/NOTES**

* * *

**(1)** _YOU'RE NEXT! HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO DIE?_: To be truthful with you guys, I wanted to use this line instead, "Why so serious?" with a smiley face following after it. If you didn't catch the reference, you need to go see the movie 'Dark Knight'… _now_. But, I decided to not use the line, simply because it's what I would consider as a classic… sort of…. Maybe next time I will use such a line….

**(2)** _a possible side effect from the medication…_: Another thing to admit. I didn't even know that Lunesta had hallucination effects… not until I saw the commercial on TV. The commercial mentioned that reports of hallucinations from taken Lunesta have occurred (along with a few other side effects I was unaware of). See, I did a little research on the product, solely on the internet. It wasn't a deep search, which is something that I usually do when I do research. But, I guess I was lazy that day. Anyway, even though that effect took me by surprise, it didn't dampen my mood or my story, not in the least. Instead, it made me grin, happily oddly, and it has made an tremendous (small) psychological scene as you have read. Things like this make me sigh happily, sometimes I have to really wonder if I'm writing this story, or is the world doing it for me? If things like this keep happening, I'm going to believe something. Also, Lunesta wasn't the original sleeping medication I wanted to use in the story. It was another, but I picked Lunesta based on a gut feeling… maybe it was in reaction to the future? Huh, who knows….

* * *

[**POLL IS STILL UP!**] Well… crazy right? I mean, Chelsea is having hallucinations and Vaughn admitted to having one himself, though you don't know what that was. And the black book, the witch seems nervous about having something like that stolen. Makes you wonder what she is afraid of, right? Well, only the future will give the answers to these pondering questions, or statements. At this time, I have nothing further to mention…. So, the next chapter…. I **cannot** guarantee it this time, but hopefully I'll have it ready by **Friday, December 31, 2010** around **3PM (Eastern Time)**.

Page **33** of **33**


	24. Chapter 23, Moon Dancing

**NOTICE****:** This is _**not**_ a filler, no matter what you read here. In addition, the song lyrics that were in this chapter have been removed. It was against the rules on FF net. I removed them to prevent my story from being deleted without warning. If you want to read it with the lyrics, go here to download it (PDF file; remove the underscores (_)):

http_:/_/_kitty868theonly_._livejournal_._com_/_12588_._html

* * *

**Chapter 23, Moon Dancing**

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**FALL 13TH – TUESDAY**

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**Chelsea's POV**

I looked down at the gown I was wearing for Will's party before I looked back up at the mirror to look at myself. I didn't recognize the person that stared back at me.

It wasn't because of the dress or the little bit of makeup I applied to my face; it was the whole image that stared back at me. I didn't recognize what was under the skin, the expression, or the reflection. My skin use to look so bright, full of life and happiness. And my eyes would seem to sparkle like the stars. Even looking at my reflection would put me in a giddy mood. But now, what stared back at me… my skin looked pale and lifeless. My eyes looked dull and dark, almost like the night sky. Sending me into a small spiral of sadness, making me feel dread and not in a humorous mood. I felt like I was like looking at a porcelain doll, not something human….

I brought a hand to the mirror and the tips of my fingers touched the smooth glass. It felt cold, momentarily making me shiver. I slowly slid my fingertips down the glass, trying to touch the image I saw. Hoping the image in the mirror would shift and change into what I am use to seeing, what I am… or is it what I use to be?

My fingertips reached the edge of the mirror, and I saw that the image didn't change. It was still there; pale, dull, lifeless.

I let out a sigh, and I wished that warm air escaped from my mouth could be seen. Giving me some sort of sign that I am alive, and not an object like a doll.

I turned away from the mirror, not caring if I looked my neatest or not. I left my bathroom and closed the sliding doors behind me. I took a few steps, stopped, and looked towards my bed at the wall.

The bloody words weren't there anymore… or rather, it was hard to see. I can still imagine the words being there, clear as day. It's hard for me to tell if I am imagining the words from memory or it's a hallucination caused by the medication. The mood I am in now doesn't help. Being stressed would only worsen the hallucinations. If I am not hallucinating, it will just come back.

I looked away from the wall and continued my walk to the door. I picked up my small handbag off of the table along the way. When I left my home, I made sure I closed my door and locked it. I triple checked that I actually did the action. Once I was satisfied with my results, I turned away from the door and looked down the path. It wasn't too dark outside, I could see everything fine. My eyes went to the sky, and the stars were just poking out of the sky. Not enough to twinkle, but enough to notice their presence.

I decided it was enough staring, so I looked away and began to walk on the path. I lifted a little of my dress, to prevent it from touching the ground. I could hear my shoes, the high heels tapping against the stones on the path. The sound penetrated the quietness around me, making me realize how alone I was.

"_Maybe I should have accepted Will's gesture to pick me up…._"

At least I wouldn't be alone and the quietness wouldn't be bothering me as much now...

When I entered West Town, I wasn't alone anymore. The door to the Animal Shop opened and someone stepped out. Seeing the blonde hair didn't take me long to figure out whom. She closed the door and turned her head in my direction, the tapping of my shoes gave my position away. She gave me wide smile, her white teeth bright in contrast to her surroundings.

"Chelsea! Are you as excited as me?" she asked me.

"_Not really…._"

"Yeah, it will be fun," I lied.

I just wasn't in the mood now. I looked forward to it earlier last week, but since the event on the Harvest Festival… I can't focus on this. I can't be happy or excited. I just feel tired, I want to just go to sleep and not wake up for hours.

Julia looked me over and smiled.

"Your dress looks beautiful! Red is obviously your color," she commented while nodding in approval.

I glanced at my formal gown, not finding it that great. I couldn't even admire the design of it or how the material felt against my skin. In fact, the color of my dress made an image come into my head. The same image that has been playing in my mind for the past few days, images that I am trying to forget. The image was blood…. It reminded me of what I saw at the festival… it reminded me of the bloody words on the wall…. The color red represents so many awful things; it's becoming my least favorite color.

I blinked my eyes once, making the images and ideas flee, before I looked back at Julia and shrugged my shoulders.

"It's okay."

"It's more than 'okay' Chelsea. It really does look nice…. Wow…. I didn't know my cousin was coming too. I didn't even know he was here," she said, looking behind me.

I turned around to look, too quickly just to look. I was actually looking forward to seeing Vaughn. Not about what he will look like, but seeing _him_. I actually felt a little happy and a small uplifting feeling around my heart, and that was before I saw him with my own eyes.

I didn't have time to think about what it could possibly mean, because I then noticed what he was dressed like.

"_I've never seen him in a suit before._"

Well, of course I haven't seen him in a suit before. It wasn't anything special, but it made him look… nice. The dark purple tie practically matched his eyes, making them stick out more. While his black suit just made people know it was _him_.

"_Wait, is that __hat__ on his head?_"

Sure enough, on top of his head was his cowboy hat. Even though it looked a little out of place with his suit, it didn't look bad overall.

"Wow, really Vaughn? You still have your hat on?" Julia asked.

"I'm not taking it off, if that's what you're trying to ask."

She sighed, already giving up the idea.

"Well, it was worth a try…."

Vaughn shook his head at her and then I saw his eyes focus onto me. They widen by a small fraction, and he blinked at me, once. His expression looked almost comical, a look of shock on his face, though hardly noticeable. His eyes stayed focused on me, for what felt like a very long time. Then I noticed he was standing still, and I began to wonder if he was breathing or not.

I felt… embarrassed, or at least something like it.

I was about to say something, anything, but he snapped out of his revenue and quietly said, "Hey, Chelsea."

"Hello Vaughn…. I thought you said that you weren't coming."

"I'm not denying that. I'm here because… I… was asked, sort of…." he said, slightly rambling.

I furrowed my eyebrows downward, expressing obvious confusion

"Asked?"

My one worded question was answered when someone appeared behind him. I noticed the bright color of the dress first, a light pink. It was a rather simple dress, with small ruffles and the material looked smooth like silk.

My eyes followed the trail of the dress until I reached the face. I felt one my eyes wince and my body shrunk back as if I was about to be hit. Though, that was what I felt. I felt like I was just hit physically, hard enough to knock the wind out of me.

"Wow Sabrina, I almost didn't recognize you. You're going to the party too?" Julia asked her.

I wanted to speak, to not seem rude and to throw away the feeling I had. But when I tried to speak, I felt like something was blocking my throat and that my tongue was tied in tight knots.

Sabrina gave us all a small smile and looked down at the ground while her face became slightly red.

"Yes," she answered quietly.

Julia looked back at Vaughn, and then she frowned, as if she remembered something.

"I'm still not talking to you," she said to him.

Vaughn just let out a sigh, not even bothering to say anything back to Julia. I saw Sabrina look between them before she looked at Vaughn and quietly said, "Are we going now?"

I saw shock overcome Julia's face, and her eyes quickly moved from Vaughn to Sabrina.

"Wait, you two are…" She let the sentence drift off

Then she looked at me, "But I thought…"

She let that sentence drift off too. An awkward silence filled in, everyone thinking their own thoughts. I didn't want to think, so I decided to break the silence by letting out a nervous laugh.

"What are you talking about Julia? Look, we're all just standing here for no reason. Will's party won't start without us!"

I turned my point into action by grabbing her wrist and forcefully pulling her behind me. I kept pulling her along the path, trying my best to not look back.

"_I will… have fun! Even if it kills me!_"

* * *

**Vaughn's POV**

I watched them go on the path. I saw Julia take a glance back, still with that confused look on her face. Her expression change into slight anger, and then she and Chelsea disappeared into the beach. I don't think Chelsea even looked back…. Wait, why am I concerned about that?

I shook my head, forcing my strange thoughts to go away. Including that strange feeling of guilt that was beginning to form in me.

"Let's go," I said, although it came out as an order.

I took long strides towards the beach with Sabrina behind me, trying to catch up. I didn't let up until I reached the entrance of the beach, from there, I looked towards Will's yacht.

His yacht was still that blinding white color, except this time, he added lights to the rail. The colorful lights were a mixture of blue and green, like a… dragonfly.

"_His ship definitely is trying to live up to the name_," I thought.

Sabrina finally appeared beside me and looked at ship, though she was breathing a little hard.

"It looks nice right?" she asked.

"It's more annoying than before."

She looked down at the sandy ground and sighed, but didn't say anything else.

I looked towards the bottom of the ship, and I saw Julia and Chelsea there. They were also admiring the slight change of the ship. They weren't alone though, another figure was there.

As soon as I saw the color of the clothes, white, I already knew who they were with.

Julia left the group, going up the stairs, leaving Chelsea and Will alone.

I didn't waste time standing there any longer, now taking long strides again towards them.

It didn't take me long to reach them. I could hear Will talking to her, mostly commenting on her attire and looks. I felt irritated… a little.

Will saw me before I could open my mouth to say anything.

"Good evening Vaughn. I didn't think you would come… and I see you have brought company," he said, looking behind me.

Once again, I forgot she was there. She looked a little exhausted, her face slightly red from trying to catch up with me.

"Oh, are you okay Sabrina? Would you like a refreshment?" Will asked, concerned with the way she was breathing.

She shook her head and quietly said, "I'm... fine. I'll be okay…."

"If you insist. If you like, you may go upstairs," he said, to the both of us I think.

Sabrina nodded her head and began to head upstairs, while grabbing the bottom portion of her dress. I guess to prevent herself from falling down.

He watched her go up the stairs, making sure she made it to the top without any trouble before he looked back at me.

"Are you going to join her?" he asked me, a look of genuine confusion on his face.

I just glowered at him in answer. He blinked at me once and then he turned to face Chelsea again.

"I really am glad that you showed up. I was a little worried that you wouldn't due to… well, with all of the things that has been happening as of late. Are you sure you'll be fine?"

She nodded her head in reply and said, "I think I'll go upstairs and wait there. If you don't mind…."

"Of course! I will join you in a few moments. I am just waiting for one more guest."

He gently took her hand and gave it a quick peck before he released her hand again. I held back the irritated scowl, remembering what I said to her almost a week ago… and how I am trying to stay away from her anyway….

Even with those small thoughts in my head, I still felt annoyed with the sight.

She didn't stick around any longer, as she quickly took flight up the stairs.

"Please save a dance for me!" Will exclaimed behind her just as she reached the half point.

She didn't respond to him, maybe she didn't hear him?

He looked away from her, that smile still on his face. He looked back at me, and I think I saw his smile slacken a bit.

"So… do you think you will enjoy my little event?"

"What do you think?"

He just blinked at me once, as if he was confused with my sarcastic question. Doesn't he pay attention to anything at all?

"Who exactly are you waiting for?" I asked him, changing the subject.

"Hmmm? Oh, that would be Shea I am waiting for."

"Shea?" I repeated, the name unfamiliar.

"_Wait, that's Jungle Boy…. I'm so used to calling him that that I forgot his name._"

"Right, Shea…. You told him?" I asked him.

"I sent him an invitation like I did with everyone else."

"Can he even read?"

For the first time, his eyebrows arched downward a little, puzzlement on his face.

"I… don't know…. I didn't ask."

"So, you assumed he can read? Someone who has been living in the jungle for most of their life, and you _assume_ he can read?"

He looked momentarily embarrassed and possibly felt stupid for not thinking of it first. Satisfied that I managed to get him to stop that annoying smiling of his, I went up the steps myself. He'll be up shortly too, since I figured out the mystery and all.

Halfway up the stairs, and I could hear another pair of feet behind me. Of course it's Will, no need for him to stand there for anyone now.

I reached the top of the stairs, and I didn't see anyone on the floor.

"Where is everyone?" I asked as I moved out of the way for him to walk past me.

He looked at me and smiled, it was back on his face.

"Since it is a ball and all, there needs to be plenty of room for everyone. It takes place on the 'Upper Deck'," he informed me.

"And how was anyone supposed to know that?"

He pointed to something on the side of the stairs. I looked, and there was a sign posted there. The side was large enough for anyone to see, if they were looking while walking up the steps.

I didn't see it, making _me_ now look stupid.

The sign indicated where the ball would be held on the ship, on the 'Upper Deck' as he said.

He began to walk away, heading towards the second pair of stairs that would lead to the deck. I scoffed after him.

"Smartass…." I muttered under my breath.

I followed behind him, at a good distance. I kept trailing behind him until I reached the top. Of course he was right, everyone that came to the party were on this floor. Most of the faces, I didn't recognize.

"_What the… did he invite __everyone__ on the island to come!_"

There were too many people for it to be just the few people I knew.

My thoughts were interrupted when a familiar voice meekly said, "You're finally here…."

I didn't have to turn my head to know who it was.

"If you mean I'm on the right floor, yeah, I'm here. I am standing here, right?"

Sabrina appeared within my vision and I asked, "What are you doing anyway?"

"I was just waiting for you…."

"Did you manage to find somewhere to sit?" I asked, noticing that there were large tables with food set on them and small round tables set for anyone to sit at.

"Yes," she replied, as she pointed to a lone table somewhere in the corner. It was mostly away from everyone and everything.

My kind of spot.

She then did something that I found to be… unwise…. She removed her large rimmed glasses and put them into the small pink bag she carried.

"What are you doing?" I asked her.

"Um, nothing. I'm just–"

"Can you even see without them?"

She looked down at the ground, in embarrassment it looked like and quietly asked, "Don't I look better without them?"

I didn't understand the logic behind that answer.

"But you can't see without them."

"I'll be fine. I can see perfectly fine without them."

"_I doubt that._"

She began to walk forward, trying to prove me wrong… and she bumped right into one of the wooden poles supporting the ship.

"_Luckily she didn't fall into the pool…._"

She let out a gasp and said, "Oh! I'm so sorry Denny! I didn't see you there!"

I felt one of my eyebrows lift, wondering how she mistaken something like that as _Denny_.

To her credit though, Denny happened to be nearby. And his expression mirrored mine. He probably saw and heard what she said. I saw him cover his mouth, trying to contain a chuckle it looked like. He then proceeded by saying, while trying to throw his voice to where she stood, "It's okay Sabrina. I didn't get hurt. Honest."

She didn't notice any of this and continued to think the pole was Denny.

"I'm glad…. Though, are you sick? You seem… cold…."

Denny couldn't contain his laughter anymore and he burst out laughing. I almost chuckled at the sight, but I decided to shake my head instead.

I made my way to her and said, "Sabrina, that's not Denny. That's a wooden pole."

"Oh? Then how come…?"

"Because he's busy messing around… and put your glasses back on."

This time she listened to reasoning and took them out of her bag, putting them back on. She saw the pole and looked to the side where Denny stood. He lightly shrugged his shoulders.

"Sorry, but I couldn't help it," he said.

He then looked at me, for a brief moment. He didn't bother saying anything to me, not in greeting like he usually does. He looked at Kuu on his shoulder and quietly said, "Come on Kuu. Let's go look for Lanna."

He then left, completely ignoring me. He's obviously still pissed at me.

"_Guess I __really__ pissed him off._"

"Well, I guess… we go to the table," Sabrina said.

I just nodded my head while she decided to lead the way to the area, going through the people while politely asking them to move aside (and avoiding other poles). I slowly followed her while looking around.

Many people were chatting with their friends or someone. Others were getting food from the long table, and there were ones already seated at tables eating their meal while chatting away. In the 'corner' of the deck was the orchestra. The orchestra was small, composing of a violinist, two playing flutes, a trumpet player, and a horn player. They were playing music of course, it could be heard even where we were heading. Towards the center of the deck was an empty area, otherwise known as the dance floor. Nobody was on it— yet.

"_Why am I here again?_"

We finally reached the table. Sabrina took her seat and I took mine across from her. From my seat, I continued to look around the deck. This time, I was looking for familiar faces. The first I found being Julia.

Julia was talking to other women in a small group. She looked… happy. I actually expected her to not come due to Elliot not coming either, or at least I assume he wouldn't be here.

"_No, if he was here, she would be chatting with him._"

I looked away from her to continue my search for other familiar faces. It didn't take me long to find just that. This time I found Lanna happily chatting away, to none other than Denny of course. That is when I noticed their formal attire.

Lanna was wearing some sort of green dress, and it had formed bows in various spots on her dress. She looked more like a pine tree to me. Denny, on the other hand, was wearing a white suit, a blue undershirt (it looked like it was shining), a white tie, with a hat to match. If it wasn't for his complexion, I would have mistaken him to be Will at a quick glance. The hat would have given him away too. Kuu, was on his shoulder, sticking out from Denny's attire like a dirt spot.

"_I bet he's bored,_" I thought, referring to Kuu.

I looked back at Denny and sighed.

"_Well, I could…_"

I shook the thought out of my head and forced myself to continue my search for others.

This time I found the midget. Not to my surprise, he was wearing some sort of purple suit and he was near the food table. He was listening intently to someone, some chef (the chef still had his hat on). Pierre actually looked a little on the happy side too. Last time I saw him, he looked a little….

Again, I shook my head at my odd thoughts.

"_This island is beginning to get to me…. How long will it take…_"

Once again, I shook my head. I didn't have time to worry about… other things….

This time my search found Mark.

"_It has been awhile since I encountered him about anything…._"

He was wearing a navy suit with a lighter shade for his tie. He was currently sitting at a table, alone, drinking something while intently looking in a certain direction. I followed where he was gazing… and I wished I didn't….

I should have had bells going off in my head, and I should have had an idea who he was staring at. He was staring at none other than Chelsea, not a very big surprise….

She was talking with Will, listening to him at the moment.

I felt my eyes blink, still not use to seeing her in a dress of any kind. The last time I did, that was back in Spring… the day of the Goddess Festival, the day of the omen….

"_I still think it's bull._"

At least, that is what I keep telling myself. It's beginning to get hard to think of the whole omen thing as something fake. With all of these things going on, it's becoming impossible to believe my original thoughts.

"_That stupid omen started everything… or something did._"

"Um, Vaughn?" Sabrina said, gaining my attention.

"Yeah?"

"Di-did you hear what I said?"

"_She was talking the whole time?_" the thought surprised me, as I didn't hear a thing she said.

"I didn't hear you. The music is kind of loud," I lied.

She nodded her head in understanding and said, "I don't want to bother you but… can you go get me something to drink?"

I _almost_ replied with the following answer, "_You have two legs, go get it yourself._"

I then realized that I felt a little thirsty myself, and a little hungry.

"_Might as well go get the stuff._"

"Sure, I'll be back," I told her as I stood up from my seat.

I walked towards the area where I saw the table with food on it; drinks should be nearby or on the same table at least.

I finally reached the table, and to my luck, the drinks were there. The drinks were available in a bowl and in unopened cans.

I wasn't sure what she wanted, so I grabbed two cans and turned around to head back to the table. The crowd though, was tightly knit together. It was becoming hard to go through them. I had to squeeze through a few people, and a few bumped into me. The ones that bumped into me kept pushing me in the wrong direction, sending me twirling, not knowing where I was going.

"_Move people!_"

The twirling finally stopped. I was about to look around to see where I stopped and where I needed to go, but someone bumped into me. The person that bumped into me staggered back, getting ready to fall. My reflexes kicked in. I dropped the cans I had in my hands and caught the person's wrist with one hand while grabbing their arm with the other. It took me a moment for my brain to catch up, seeing _who_ I caught from falling.

She didn't know who I was yet, as she was looking down at the ground and laughed with embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—"

That's when she looked up, and her smile faltered when she realized who I was.

I gave her a blink of my eyes and said, "Sorry, I didn't see you there…. Are you okay, Chelsea?"

She gave me a nod of her head, not saying a word.

Unfortunately, someone else took the whole situation _wrong_.

"Hmmm, how unorthodox…. I would usually start, since it is my birthday. However, since you two are ready, I'll let you two lead," I heard Will say not far from us.

"_What the hell is he talking about?_"

I looked his way, and he sent us both a smile. What he said next gave away the meaning of his words.

"The spotlight is all yours… I'll have a dance with Chelsea on the next one," he said.

That's when I realized where I landed during the whole spinning ordeal… on the dance floor!

"WHAT! I don't want to–"

I didn't get to protest any further, as Will gained the audience's attention and asked everyone to settle down. He made it very clear that we were leading, or rather starting the dancing chain. Not too long after, everyone settled down and looked at us, very intently, not wanting to miss a single second.

"_Wait until I get out of this…!_"

I couldn't walk away now, or sneak away without anyone see me. I don't like being put on the spot either.

I let out a annoyed sigh, seeing I had no choice in the matter now.

"_Just wait until I see you next time…!_"

I vowed that I would kill Will myself when this was over.

Chelsea looked just as taken aback, but she didn't look angry, just shocked.

It was really too late for me to back down when the music being played by the orchestra changed into something more calm, and agonizing slow. When I listened to it, I didn't hear the horn players play along, only the flutes and the violin.

Chelsea snapped me out of my thoughts when she gently grabbed my right hand and put it against her waist, making me feel some sort of curve there, before her hand went on my shoulder, and partly on my arm. Her other hand gently fell into the palm of my own hand. She moved herself a little closer to me, looked up, and whispered, so that only I could hear, "I don't mind, um, having one dance with you. But, if you really don't want to…."

I gave her a light glare, thinking that she was trying to send me on some guilt trip. Although at the same time, I felt shocked with the notion. But, I already made up my mind before she even said anything. I don't like being on the spot, but I don't want to look like a fool either.

"I already decided that I would do it anyway…. Do I have to lead?" I asked her in a whisper myself.

She lightly nodded her head. I held back the annoyed sigh, I felt like I was backed into a corner.

"_Seems I have no choice,_" I thought as I began to lead.

I had to go _way_ back within my memories to remember how to waltz. I remember the obvious movement, of twirling, but my memory didn't go beyond that point. However, as I moved, with Chelsea doing exceptionally well with following my steps, the steps came to me easier. It was easier to do the action then to think it, making us flow in sync. Of course, apparently her dress was too long, so there were a few times that would trip on the bottom of dress, falling forward with her head knocking against my chest. She would lightly laugh it off, being giddy, and then continued to follow my lead, as if nothing happened. However, when it happened a few times too many, I began to wonder if she was doing it purposely. But that thought didn't make sense to me, why would she?

The movements soon felt like second nature to me, giving me the ability to pay attention to my surroundings now. The music, I realized, was playing a slower tune then the one we started with. Chelsea must have realized it too. I felt myself slow my steps to match the music, and Chelsea followed suit. She also moved a little closer, more then I would have liked. Before I could ask her what she was doing; she then, hesitantly I noticed, put her head, the side of it, against my chest. I heard her let out a sigh of… content. As if she hadn't felt like this in a very… long time.

My protest came out as a slow sigh, instead of words. I guess I could leave her be…. It's not that big of a deal.

It was a mistake.

She then slowly looked up at me, her head still at an angle, making me only see her eyes through a few strands of her hair. I, being the idiot that I am, slightly looked down, my own eyes felt like they collided with hers.

And like before, back at the festival, I felt like I was absorbed into them… and I was almost dragged into them again. But I wasn't going to do it this time; neither was I going to allow her to do the same to me.

I quickly looked elsewhere to prevent it from happening. Chelsea must have felt like… _something_ was going to happen, like at the festival, if her disappointed sigh indicated anything. When she sighed, I felt her own chest rise and fall, and I could feel her heart beating too… almost as if I could hear it.

"Vaughn…. Do you ever want to talk to me about it?"

"About what?"

"You know… the festival…."

"I thought I already told you that it's all in your head."

"Vaughn, I can believe in the hallucinations caused by the medication and even in any dreams I have. But, I refuse to think that what I saw… was part of my imagination."

"The keyword is _refuse_. Stop refusing the truth and just accept it."

"I can't accept it because I know it's not true that I imagined it…. Didn't you see anything?"

At that, she turned her head, leaning her chin against my chest as she looked up. Her expression held, almost a…. pleading expression. Maybe I'm reading it wrong, it could be something else. But it looked like she was trying to get me to say something at least.

I let out a low annoyed groan, but the feeling of annoyance quickly faded when I looked at her eyes, once again.

Her eyes, I noticed, didn't look as bright like on the day of the fireworks. They looked more on the dull side, almost darker, as if to prove that something wasn't right about her. To add on to it, she smiled at me… and I realized it wasn't the same. The smile she held didn't have the same brightness to it. It didn't look bright or felt like a real genuine friendly smile. It looked more… forced.

It bothered me.

My thinking was suddenly interrupted when I felt something constantly hitting against my chest. The 'hitting' turned out to be thumping. It took me another moment to realize that the thumping was in a certain rhythmic motion, the same rapid, yet quick, hitting against me.

It took me a second to realize it was her heart.

I gave her a slight frown and quietly asked her, "What's wrong with you?"

Her expression held genuine confusion, and her faced looked a little red I noticed.

"What are you talking about?" she asked as she moved her head away from my chest to look at me from a small distance.

"I can practically feel your heart hitting me, and it's going a little fast…. Why is that?"

She didn't answer; she just continued to look at me, her eyes barely moving to look elsewhere. In that moment, a thought came to me, and the idea both intrigued and slightly annoyed me.

I bent my head a little forward; close enough that I could feel her warm breathing from her nose hit my skin. As my face moved a little closer, I could feel her heart going into overdrive mode. It was pumping faster, if that is possible. Her face also turned a darker shade of crimson, but she didn't move her head back either. I whispered, the voiced didn't seem to be my own, "Are you afraid of me, Chelsea?"

My gaze was piercing into her own wide eyes, trying to detect any type of fearful emotions. She stared back at me, a dazed look, with her face still glowing red. She whispered just as low with her reply, "No, I'm not, Vaughn…."

Despite her answer, her heart was still going overdrive, and I told her so, "Your heart seems to be saying otherwise."

"Well, I was never good at lying," she admitted in the same tone as before as she let out a small giggle.

"If you're lying, then tell me what you are afraid of, exactly?" I asked her, a little curious of what her reply will be.

At that moment I took a small sniff through my nose, and a sweet fragrance greeted me. Not so sweet that it'll make me suffocate or puke. It was a sweet smell that made me feel… intoxicated, like I was being embraced by the smell. The fragrance smelt like a blend of peaches and… grapes… possibly a hint of vanilla too.

I realized the sweet smell was coming from Chelsea.

Even with that new knowledge added, I wanted to actually move my head closer to get a better smell, to take a deeper breath in. Definitely not something I would do under any other circumstances, but since I was already close….

Too close, I realized. In fact, I was so close to her _face_ that I could feel her warm breath from her mouth hit me. I could see her eyelashes surrounding blue eyes. I could see the little bit of makeup she applied on her cheeks, although the redness of her cheeks overshadowed it, hiding it well. I still felt her heart in overdrive.

I saw her eyes close halfway, and I heard her take a sharp breath in, as if she was expecting something. Although, I cannot deny that I didn't feel the same. I felt like something was supposed to happen next… and that sweet smell wasn't exactly helping. I still wanted to take a deeper intake of that….

Before I could go through with the action or even ponder what I should do next, an irritating familiar voice snapped us out of our own thoughts. I saw her eyes open again, no longer in that half closed state. I quickly pulled my face away from her, being a little hesitant with my actions, and the sweet smell was now just a linger in my nose, like a breeze. I briefly wondered if I really smelled the fragrance at all….

"Mind if I cut in?" the voice asked again, the one that interrupted us in the first place.

I heard Chelsea let out a sigh, either in disappointment or annoyance, I'm not sure. I felt a little… out of it.

In answer to Will's question, I let go of Chelsea's hand while removing my other hand from the small of her waist (it felt small) and I took a step back from her.

"It's your turn anyway," I said, before Chelsea could say anything, as I noticed her opening her mouth at the same time.

Will gave me a thankful nod with a friendly smile and said, "Thank you."

I didn't bother replying to him or to see Chelsea's expression about my actions. I turned away from them to head back to the table, still feeling slightly dazed. My nose was still trying to remember the fragrance I liked, and I didn't realize that I forgot the drinks until I reached the table where Sabrina gave me a baffled look and said, "Vaughn, you forgot the drinks."

* * *

**Denny's POV**

I watched the others dance, or rather waltz, on the floor as I let out a small irritated groan.

"You know, I don't mind classical music every now and then. Everyone listens to Beethey_**(1)**_ at least once in their life, but I would like some music that I can actually _dance_ to."

Lanna gave me a look with an eyebrow slightly raised from across the table.

"You know the people are dancing on the floor, right?"

"No, that's not exactly dancing. That's waltzing. Anybody can waltz, even someone who literally has two left feet can waltz, it's not that difficult to do. Now dancing is another story…."

Lanna rolled her eyes and said, "If you're talking about more modern music to be played, I don't think they have that on them."

"I know that. I mean, maybe play something that is more… just something else that can actually be danced to. Ya know what I'm saying?"

"I do, but I still don't see how you're going to do just that."

I sighed as I looked towards the dance floor. Lanna and I already had our dance, so she's happy… for now.

The dance floor was more crowded now, especially after Chelsea and…

Just thinking of the name made me feel angry, at least a little. Lanna must have seen my expression because she sighed and asked me, "Are you still mad at him?"

I shrugged my shoulders at her.

"Wow, really? I never knew that you could hold a grudge for so long Denny."

"It's _not_ a grudge. It's… temporarily holding a certain stage of anger for a limited amount of time."

"Same thing Denny. But still, you usually don't even do that."

"Well, he went too far that time. I don't care if he curses me out or insults the way my clothes smell. But to insult my fishing skills, my job, that's going _too_ far."

"Well… I guess I would be mad too."

I gave her an exasperated look. She _guesses_ she would be too? That's not true. She gets just as angry if anyone insults her singing career, in any form.

I stood up from my seat and said as I walked away, "I'll be back. I'm going to get me some punch."

"Oh! Bring me a cup back too!"

I nodded my head and adjusted the white hat on top of my head. It didn't take me long to reach the long table, finding the punch bowl wasn't hard either. I took the ladle and gave myself a scoop, easily putting it into a plastic cup. I took a sip of the punch as I turned around to look around.

I already knew where everyone was, most of them were on the dance floor, still going around in circles like spinning tops. I let out a low groan against the cup I was sipping. I put the cup down on the table behind me as I looked around again.

Lanna was still sitting at the table, happily smiling while looking at the others dancing, err, _waltzing_ on the floor with their partners. I looked over to the next table. Mark was sitting there, and someone was talking to him. He actually looked a little happy, if the small smile on his face indicated anything. I haven't seen him even do that in… weeks. I still haven't quite figured out why that was….

I moved on to the next table, towards the back, and I felt my eyes wince as certain words echoed in my mind while looking at the two person group, mostly the guy. Sabrina was happily talking to him, unaware of my own thoughts. I chuckled at the memory of making her think that the pole she bumped into was me. I still found it hilarious. However, the one she was talking to wasn't paying any attention to her. It was a little obvious, since Vaughn's chin was leaning in the palm of his hand with his eyes mostly looking towards the dance floor. I had to wonder if he was at least trying to listen. I admit to doing the same thing to Lanna a few times, but I at least _try_ to listen to her, or at least look like I am.

I followed his gaze towards the dance floor. His attention, not to my surprise, seemed to be surrounding two specific people; Will and Chelsea, of course. Though, it looked like he wasn't the only one distracted. Chelsea looked a little distracted too. I could see Will talking to her, and she would either nod or give a twitch of a smile. Her eyes though, would keep looking around. It took me a few seconds to realize what area she kept looking at, the dining tables. It took me less time to realize who she was trying to look at.

I let out a sigh at the realization and shook my head at the thought of helping, not if it concerned helping Vaughn.

"_Seems a little cold for someone like you,_" my conscience stated.

"_Hey! I tried to be helpful last time! Besides, he'll be okay…._" I thought, slowly giving in to my usual helpful side.

"_I don't think so… look again, and you'll recognize that look…._"

I looked towards Will and Chelsea. The 'look' my conscience was referring to Will, and I did recognize the 'look'. I let out a sigh.

"_Don't see what I can do…._"

I forced my eyes to look elsewhere, to where the orchestra was playing. The same slow romance type music kept playing. It was really tiring, but I didn't know what they could play… but the more I looked, the more an idea began to form in my mind. When the idea was finalized, I was grinning like a child on sugar high.

"_I have an idea…._"

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I told myself that Vaughn owed me one.

* * *

**Chelsea's POV**

I could still hear the orchestra playing their soft melody, a slow tone that can easily be danced to in waltz. I tried my best to focus on the waltzing, but my mind wasn't trying that hard…. My mind was still thinking about the dance with Vaughn. Or to be exact, that… moment we had, or was about to have….

"_Something was definitely about to happen before Will interrupted us,_" I thought, a little sad with the thought.

And the thing was, I was looking forward to it, at least, it felt like I was. I felt so nervous, yet excited at the same time. I know my heart was pumping like crazy, even Vaughn felt it.

"Chelsea?"

I brought my attention back to Will, "Yes?"

He gave me a light smile and lightly leaned his forehead against my own. He quietly asked me, "Are you enjoying yourself so far?"

"I'm having a good time Will, really," I said with a nervous smile.

His own smile widens, "I'm glad…. I was afraid that all of this was… too much."

I shook my head, "It's different than 'normal' parties. This is a ball Will, not… a party…." I finished lamely, not sure how to compare his parties to 'normal' ones.

Will let out a low laugh, "I don't quite understand what you mean, but I'm sure it's good."

Nothing was said after that. We kept slow dancing to the music, though, I began to notice Will's demeanor change slightly. He kept his forehead leaning against my head, and his eyes were completely focused on me. The look felt familiar….

Just as slow as the music, he began to lower his head, bringing it closer to my face. In reaction, I moved my head back a little. I could only bring my head but so far back. I wanted to say something to him, but….

He suddenly stopped his course of action, and I saw his eyebrows arch downward. Not in anger, but in bafflement. He then whispered, to himself or to us both I'm unsure, "The music… it stopped."

After he said that, I realized he was right. He turned his head away from me and looked in the direction where the small orchestra would be. I looked as well, and we both saw what caused the interruption, or rather who.

Denny was talking to one of the orchestra players, or maybe he was talking to all of them. The horn player for instance looked confused with whatever Denny was saying to him. The violin player, on the other hand, looked enthusiastic and he nodded his head rapidly, agreeing or liking Denny's words.

"_What is he doing?_"

The other instrument players looked at the violin one and talked to him, their mouths moving. I'm too far for me to hear them. Finally, all of the players turned to face Denny and nodded their heads in unison, agreeing to something. I saw Denny give them a wide grin and he moved back away from them.

I watched him go on the dance floor, moving towards the middle (we were somewhere along the side). Apparently, others saw the commotion as well, and stopped their own waltzing to watch Denny. When he finally reached the middle, he waved his hands at the people around him, asking them to make room for him— plenty, I realized.

Once there was enough room for him, enough for him to take almost half of the dance floor, he turned his head to look at the orchestra, and he nodded his head once.

The violin player gave Denny a happy grin and he held his instrument in position, nodding his head back at him once _**(2)**_. The other players, I realized, had their instruments down, not in position to prepare to play; the sight sent me into further puzzlement.

As soon as the guy gave him the nod, Denny turned away from them and he got into some sort of position; standing straight, still, with one hand stretched behind him, as far as it could go, while the other was still on his side. The position… looked familiar.

"_What on Earth…?_"

* * *

**Vaughn's POV**

"_What is that __idiot__ doing?_"

The idiot I am referring to is Denny. He was, as of now, standing still in the middle of the dance floor, in some awkward position. The music had stopped not too long ago, and it turns out it had something to do with Denny.

The music began to play, the violin only I realized. Playing, not slow, but not fast either (do I look like someone that plays the violin to you?). I realized that it was going to be the same beat as Denny snapped his fingers on his outstretched hand, going along with the tune being played.

He kept repeating the action, and for some reason… the music and his stance reminded me of some sort of song, and somebody too, but I couldn't put my finger on it…. I could tell that something was going to happen. What I didn't expect was for Denny to…

_Aaow!_

It took me a second to realize that the sound came from Denny himself (is he trying to sing?). The violin, at that same time, sped up in tempo. Also for me, the song began to sound _really_ familiar. The familiarity of the song suddenly hit me; as if a train ran me over… wish one really did….

"_Oh no… Harvest Goddess no!_"

While the violin was playing, Denny changed position, bringing both of his hands in front of him, nodding his head to the rhythm of the violin. He suddenly changed positions again, doing two things at once; lifting one of his legs at a certain angle while bringing down his arm, and his elbow briefly touches the knee on that leg, before he brought them both back down to his side.

He wasn't done, as he went on from there to quickly lashing out one arm, with his legs slightly spread apart, before bringing back that lashed out arm to his forehead and down and then he did one complete spin. From that, he started moving his shoulders, almost robotically. I knew what was going to be done next_**(3)**_.

"_Oh… damn…._"

The dancing fool sings the first two lines.

"_I knew it…._"

And the dancing fool continued to sing, now with the next two lines.

Denny was, of course, moving along to the music while _he_ continued to sing. I don't have the words to describe what the hell he is doing, but he was moving along the floor as if it was slippery, but he's not slipping to the floor.

I could hear others in the background chattering, most of them seemed baffled. There were a few, however, that seemed to have recognized the tune. Would you believe that two _random_ other guys began to join Denny on his dancing, one appearing beside him, slightly behind him. Great, so now he has backup dancers— I found it eerily strange that they were moving at the same moment as him. I had to really wonder if he had this planned out….

Denny's popularity began to boom at a rapid pace— as more people came to join in. One of the people that joined happened to be Chelsea herself. This time, the smile she had on her face looked borderline goofy, and, not to my surprise, Lanna joined in, while loudly 'wooing'. I saw Will look on from a distance, a look of complete bafflement on his face.

"_Join the club._"

I felt like hitting the palm of hand to my forehead at the sight. Leave it to Denny to change something _completely_ around.

The ones that joined in began to not only dance (horribly or not) with him, but most of them began to actually _sing_ along. Now being the backup singers.

At that point, Denny broke off from the dancing group and walked along the side, continuing his singing.

He stopped somewhere along the side, and he did his own separate dance from the others (still on key though, surprisingly).

He did one of those spins again, and did some robotic-like moves with his hands and feet.

At this point, Denny started to walk back to join his 'backup dancers'. When he did join them, they were moving, once again, as one.

One of the male dancers stretched out his hand to Denny. Denny quickly grabbed it and pretended to flip him over (or maybe he did).

At that point, the guy Denny flipped pretended to be dead on the ground.

_You've Been Hit by; A Smooth Criminal_

The violin played on its own at this point, while Denny and his background dancers… danced. He quickly outstretched a hand while bringing a leg up, bending it at the knee. He brought his hand back towards him and his foot hit the floor once. He then swayed his shoulders to the side and clapped his hands together once; one hand came up to his hat, briefly touching it before he stood up straight, facing the rest of the audience. He made each hand touch his elbows, his arms overlapping. He made them go into a circular motion, once, before unlocking them from that position. He placed one hand on the top of his hat and the other was bent, just touching the top of his thigh/hip. His legs were slightly spread apart at an angle, sideways almost. He bent his head downward, with his hands still in the same positions. He then stood straight again, one hand against his chest (like over his heart), while the other hand stretched.

_Aaow!_

From there… he did something strange with his feet, and that was without moving from his spot while snapping his fingers. He then did a complete spin, but stopping with his side showing. This time, his arms remained by his side and his legs were together tightly; he began to hop, literally, with the others following.

He, and his large followers, were still doing mini hops… wait, is Will trying to join in? Well hell, he is…. He just looked awkward, I almost _laughed_ at the ridiculousness of the sight.

Denny walked off from the dancers, while still singing.

He walked back to the dancers, going to the middle of the group again.

At this point, others that were not dancing were going to the beat, either clapping their hands or banging their fists at the table lightly, Mark happened to be one of them. He was smiling like an idiot too.

I _almost_ began to tap my foot and bop my head to the music. When I realized the impulse, it made my back arch straight, trying to stay stiff. The song doesn't just have awkward dancing, it's contagious too!

As one, all of the dancers behind him stopped as he walked forward, almost with a stagger in his walk.

At this point, the violin played; you can hear it more clearly now that Denny wasn't singing any lyrics.

_Aaow!_

Denny broke off from the group again, this time sliding his feet backwards, slow enough to assume that the gravity was heavier_**(4)**_. He stopped for a moment and his 'followers' stopped as well. They began to lean forward, going forward at an impossible angle, an angle that should have made them fall to the ground— it was as if they were defying gravity_**(5)**_! Apparently, not everyone could do it, as a few actually fell to the ground, Denny didn't though.

Once he was standing straight again, he turned his whole body around robotically, and began to move forward. I thought I was going to be left in peace, but apparently, I was wrong… _way_ wrong.

He looked up from his position, looked at me, and smiled from his position while shouting, "Come on Vaughn! Join us!"

"_Hell_ no," I said, not loud enough for him to hear me, but I'm sure he could tell what my answer was based on my expression.

Unfortunately, I wasn't getting my way. Lanna and Chelsea appeared out _nowhere_ and grabbed my arms from each side as they pulled me to get me out of my chair.

"What do you think you are doing!"

"You can't say 'no' Vaughn! Denny called you out! You have to join!" Lanna said, over the music.

"Why are you bothering me! Why don't you get… uh… Sabrina or something to do it?"

Lanna did look at Sabrina's way for a second, but Sabrina shook her head and tried to turn invisible in her chair. It didn't stop either of them from pulling at my arms though. I was getting tired of trying to pull away from the both of them, so I gave in, a little. A little was all they needed to get me out of my chair.

"_I'm going to kill him when this is over!_"

I didn't know until later that it was the most fun I had in years… of course, I wouldn't admit that to anyone, _especially_ Denny._** (6)**_

* * *

**Chelsea's POV**

I opened the door to my room on Will's ship and stepped out into the hallway. I looked around the hallway, and noticed that I was indeed alone, the only one. I closed my door behind me and quietly walked down the hallway, towards the pool area on the 'Lower Deck'.

I finally reached it, and I looked down at the sparkling surface of the pool. I briefly looked at my reflection; it was the same as the mirror showed me back in my room….

"Aren't you up past your bedtime?"

I nearly jumped forward, a stunt that would have made me land in the pool.

I turned to face the person and I sighed in relief, "I could say the same to you Vaughn…. What are you doing here?"

"Couldn't sleep," he muttered as he stood beside me, looking down at the pool too.

"Same here… but, I thought you were taking sleeping medication."

"I thought you were too."

"Well… I didn't take them today. I wanted to stop taking them because… I want the hallucinations to stop."

"But you'll lose sleep over it?"

"That's the price I have to pay, I guess…."

I almost asked him about his dancing skills, but I decided not to. He might, or will rather, get mad at me. Although, another thought came to me.

"I have the paper work on Dash."

"You do? A little late but, I guess it's better late than never… what did the vet say?"

"He told me he's fine. The vet believed that it was probably a onetime thing, maybe he was too excited and didn't know what was going on."

I already knew the true reason behind Dash's actions; that the carrot fume on Julia drove it to act a little crazy, but I couldn't tell Vaughn that without revealing the other things… including that note in the journal.

I wish I had something to grip tightly; I wanted to do just that. I still don't know if the note is a hallucination or not, as I can still see it. Maybe I will a few days later….

Vaughn finally nodded his head at my explanation, "I'll get them later."

"I'll leave them with Julia, if that will be easier for you."

He sighed, but he nodded his head in agreement anyway.

I gently bit my bottom lip and asked, "Can I ask you a question, Vaughn?"

I heard him sigh again, as if he knew what I was going to ask. I had an idea what he _thought_ I was going to ask, but I didn't want to bring that up right now.

"Do you… think I'm crazy?"

"I don't know," he replied almost immediately.

I frowned at his words and I almost huffed at him, "That's not a good answer."

"What I'm trying to say is, do you think you're crazy?"

"I… don't know…."

"Okay, so, do you believe you're crazy?"

"Isn't that the same thing?"

"No, it's not. I asked, did you _think_ you were crazy before. Now I am asking if you _believe_ you are crazy. There's a big difference between think and believe."

Since he put it that way, I reconsidered what he said to me.

"_Do I believe I am crazy? Am I?_"

The images of the words on the wall and the note came into my mind. Even if both of them are hallucinations, the information isn't wrong… right?

There really is a nut going around harming people. I'm not sure if the nut knows about my investigation or not, but even if he or she does… does it really make a difference, really? I'm still in danger either way, people still get hurt… so, what am I really worried about.

"No," I finally said to him.

"No what?"

"No, I don't believe I am crazy."

"Well then, you're not crazy."

I decided to ask him why he was out here, to elaborate it.

"Why are you out here?"

"You should probably go to bed."

Always dodging the question Vaughn. Though, I couldn't go back to my room… not yet. I still want to be away from the mirror. I couldn't face it again….

"I can't," I admitted.

"Why not?"

"Because… I can't face that reflection again…I just can't… it's not me."

I didn't mean to admit it that to him, at all. It frightened me that if I easily told him that, what else will slip from my mouth?

I felt pressure on one of my arms, and I saw one of his hands had lightly gripped my arm. He tugged on my arm, compelling me to follow his tug. As he pulled me along the hallway, it took me a moment to realize that he was taking me to my room. I almost had the impulse to pull my arm away.

He stopped in front of my door and waited for me to open it, his hand still clasped around my arm. It didn't look like he was going to let go anytime soon.

I took out the keycard out of my pajama pants pocket and slid it against the door. As soon as the clicking sound was heard, Vaughn opened the door. He still pulled my arm until we were in the middle of the room. As soon as he let go of my arm, he walked over to the door on the far right of the room, where the bathroom was (all the rooms must be the same if he knows where the bathroom is).

He opened the door and flipped the light switch on. He looked around for a moment before he took a step towards the glass mirror, where it rested above the sink. He pointed to it and looked my way from his position.

"You were talking about the mirror right?"

I nodded my head. He didn't know that when I looked at it… what stared back at me wasn't me. What stared back at me made me feel gloomier then what the investigation had on me.

He looked away from me and titled his head at the mirror for a moment. I was caught by surprise when I heard the sound of crashing, or shattering rather. The noise made me run towards the bathroom in alarm. About time I got there, he was looking at his hand, and it was bleeding.

"What…?"

I looked toward the sink, where the mirror was… at least, use to be. The mirror was now shattered into thousands of shards. I didn't even see him punch it, all I heard was the sound… he must have done it really quick.

I glanced back at his injured hand.

"Your hand…."

"It's only a scratch."

I felt my eyebrows arch downward, confused with his actions.

"But… why did you do that?"

He looked his hand over, opening and closing his hand. Thank goodness he didn't break any bones in them, even though it was still bleeding. He then looked at me and said, "That mirror was messing with your head. So, I fixed the problem by breaking it."

I blinked at him at first, and then I let out a short laugh. Just wow, he likes things that are simple.

He sighed and said, "Look, you think about things… too much…."

I saw him frown slightly, as if déjà vu struck him. He shook his head and continued, "It'll be easier if you make everything simple… and besides, that's not you anyway…."

At that, he walked past me, leaving me there, standing alone in the bathroom. About time I came over my shock, he was already gone— gone from my room, probably going back to his own….

Although, I couldn't help but smile about his actions.

The smile didn't last long though, as the idea of a nightmare occurring made it falter greatly.

The thought made me want wish I had the mirror to look at….

* * *

**Vaughn's POV**

"_How many hours has it been?_"

I _still_ couldn't sleep. I feel, restless, something was bothering me, but I couldn't pinpoint what that might be….

I sighed and turned away from the pool, which I have stared at for the past few hours. I began to walk down the hallway, remembering that my 'room' was at the back, near the horse's stable.

However, before I could get there, I noticed one of the room doors was _open_. I rolled my eyes at the actions of the occupant in the room.

"_Probably too excited after the party to remember to close their door._"

I walked up to it, reached a hand out to the doorknob, getting ready to close it. Even though my mind was focused on the task, my eyes weren't. They looked inside of the room, no different than my own, and they landed on the occupant of the room— whom was sleeping on the bed. Once I saw the occupant on the bed, it made me stop my actions, haltering my hands and feet.

I didn't realize that I had walked into the room until I was at least a few feet away from the bed.

That's when I also realized that I didn't feel as restless either.

I looked at Chelsea again, she was, of course, sleeping in her bed, quietly breathing. She was sleeping peacefully, to me anyway. Wait, is she frowning?

I could hear common sense telling me to leave her room, now. But, I told it to hush, that I'll be gone in a minute or two.

I continued to study her expression. For the next few seconds it still held the look of frustration, possibly bordering on trouble.

"_Maybe I'll stay just for a few minutes…._"

Since I made that decision, I decided to make myself comfortable. I sat on the ground, my back against the side of the bed. I sighed as I took my hat off of my head, feeling a little hot in the forehead.

I suddenly felt something heavy on my head, landing on my hair. I brought one hand up to see what it was, and I immediately withdrew it. Turns out the 'something' that landed in my hair was Chelsea's hand; a few of her fingers had embedded in my hair. Her hand must have fallen off of the bed….

But, the idea or the feeling of it didn't bother me. In fact, I felt… something close to tranquility. I didn't feel tensed and something inside of me actually stopped pacing around. I felt… in content….

I closed my eyes, "_Just a minute more…._"

My eyes snapped open and I looked around frantically, wondering where I was. It took my brain a few seconds to remember that I was _still_ in Chelsea's room.

"_How long have I been here!_"

I moved my head to the side, trying to find the clock on the sidewall. I couldn't see it in the mostly dark room. When I moved my head, I felt Chelsea's hand still on top of my head, making me feel a little regret about what I was about to do.

I brought a hand up, and gently took her hand off of my head, untangling it from my hair as well. I gently put it back on the bedside as I stood up from my seat on the floor. I began to head out of her room, forcing myself to _not_ look back. I didn't want to that feeling again… to make me stay.

"_Even though you liked the feeling?_"

I ignored my conscience without even trying.

I didn't realize, until I was _really_ far from her room, that I didn't have the dream… it was the only night I had a peaceful sleep….

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_

* * *

**AUTHOR'S COMMENTS/NOTES**

* * *

**(0)** _Moon Dancing_: This title, to me, should have given away that something concerning Michael Jackson (MJ) was going to happen. It's derived from 'Moon Walk'. 'Moon Walk' is also the name of a dance move, mostly famous because of MJ.

**(1) **_Beethey_: Denny means Beethoven for those of you that didn't catch it. Although, Beethey does sound a little weird….

**(2)** _The violin player_: The name of the violin player wasn't mentioned in the story, but the one I am indicating would be David Garrett. I haven't even heard of him until I started searching for a violin version of _Smooth Criminal_. His was the first to pop up. Let me tell you, I thought it was _amazing_. Looking at him play the song makes me want to learn how to play the violin. Sadly, it'll be the only song I want to learn. So, that would be a waste of money. But still, if you haven't heard of this guy, feel free to check him out. If you ever have the chance, listen to his violin version of _Smooth Criminal_. Try your best to listen to _only_ the violin version, as I know there is a version with the guitar also playing with him in the background. If you listen to that version, again, try to listen to the violin part only to get an idea of the music for this chapter.

**(3)** _started moving his shoulders, almost robotically_: Now I see why only waltzing is described in almost any type of story- because trying to describe rhythmic dance moves is like trying to explain the definition of 'a' to a kid, in detail. I, of course, did my best describing MJ's dance moves a few times, but it's still impossible to capture the feeling of it. In my opinion, it would be better for you to watch it then to read it. I mean, there are names for a few of the moves I described, but I thought it would be better to be a little descriptive then to try to explain every dance move I named.

**(4) **_sliding his feet backwards_: Vaughn, that's called the 'Moon Walk'. This dance move has been around a long time, even before MJ. It's just that he made it famous and more recognizable to people.

**(5)** _made them fall to the ground— it was as if they were defying gravity_: Vaughn, it's called the 'Anti-Gravity Lean' (XD). There are a few that call it the 'Moon Lean', but that's not the accurate term. Though, I suppose it really doesn't matter. And, Vaughn is right. This move is impossible— without the proper gear that is. MJ was able to replicate this move without strings or wires due to wearing some special shoes that titled on the heel and the stage being propped at the appropriate places... something like that. MJ was the one that came up with the idea. He's a lot smarter than people gave him credit for.… I wonder if he was good in physics… makes me wonder….

**(6)** _The song Denny was singing [with lyrics removed]_: The song Denny was singing, or was at least indicating, is called _Smooth Criminal_, which is by MJ's. This song, one of many, has been played, quite literally, around the world. From America to Zealand… well, you get the idea. There are various versions of this song too, but I don't know all of them. So, if interested, feel free to look it up…. Oh yeah, R.I.P MJ, I'll miss your music along with the millions/billions of others…. And here's a comment I saw on YouTube that made me laugh:

"God give us Michael Jackson back and we'll give Justin Bieber."

XD ; Well, I thought it was funny (no comment on Justin B., I rather _not_.).

[**POLL IS STILL UP!**] _You've been hit by, you've been struck by, a smooooth criminal_ (XD). Well, this chapter might seem a little random but believe me, it's not. And, congratulation to anyone that has read this far. Guess how many pages you have read thus far? That's right, you have read **over 1,000 pages** in total! That's _not_ including my author notes, fun facts, and the BONUSES. For me, that means I have written over 1,000 pages…. Woah, that is a big accomplishment! I've written that much in about 2 years, so, that's at least 500 pages a year! Wow, just wow!

Hmm, what else to say about this chapter? Oh yes! About Denny himself. Yes, I can easily imagine him dancing to MJ's music, I can easily vision him being a fan of his music too. Vaughn on the other hand… no, just no. If you can imagine Vaughn, of all people, dancing like that— you have really good imagination, because I can't. When I try to, I end up laughing because it's funny (XD). With Denny, yeah, I can. In fact, I can easily imagine Denny being able to do various dance moves, old and 'modern' ones. I can see him doing 'The Worm', 'The Head-spin', the 'Moon Walk' (obviously), the 'Electric Slide', the 'Robot', even the 'Capoeira'! And, to be fair, I can easily see him do the more 'modern' dance moves- such as the 'Dougie' (I _hate_ this one), the 'Harlem Shake' and, _ugh_, the one called 'Superman' (AKA: Soulja Boy dance; which I think is corny as hell, and I'm not trying to be funny). Many of the 'modern' dance moves have been stolen anyway, people just think they're new, when they're not… and that should tell you that original rhythm dance moves in kids/teenagers are quickly declining at a rapid pace. And that's me being truthful….

As for Chelsea and Vaughn, their relationship is… what? How should I put it…? Eh, I forgot the word I had. But, it seems to be rocky, don't you think? Vaughn is admitting that he felt relaxed and such, so, that obviously means something- and he didn't dream either. That's good… or is it?

And, oh yeah! I forgot to mention this before, but we're a little past the half point of this story. What does that mean? I think I mentioned this a few times, but I have taken a estimate guess of how long this story will be. It should be _**approximately**_ 40 chapters. This is chapter 23, that means we're about 57% done with the story. That means approximately 43% is left, approximately 17 chapters to go…. Wow, putting it that way, it doesn't sound like a lot…. Well, there's still a long way to go, a lot to write still. So, don't fret!

Now, the idea behind this chapter was the second idea I had in mind to use. That's right, I had two different ideas for this chapter, in other words, two different versions. The first idea I had for this chapter was the one I planned out around the time the first chapter of the whole story came out, meaning it was the original idea. The second idea wasn't developed until much later on the story. Probably a little before Chapter 20…. Truthfully, I was trying to avoid using the second idea, involving the MJ music portion. I have absolutely nothing against MJ, it's just that I think I was planning to use it for another chapter in the future, my notes are not… that detailed about that….

Anyway, I gave in due to one of my days turning strange. Have time for a story? Yes, it's a story within a story. Seriously, I was convinced when all of these _weird_ coincidence happened, all of them involving MJ's music or just him in general. Here's my story:

When I first woke up in the morning, I seemed to have left my laptop on— what was up were three documents. One document was some homework I didn't finish (managed to later), the second document was this story (all chapters thus far combined), and the third document was the idea document concerning this story (it reminds me what happens next etc.). By coincidence, the idea document was highlighting the portion for this chapter, the second idea involving using MJ's music. I told myself that I wasn't going to go with the second idea, as it wasn't the original idea. So, I ignored it and started to get ready for my day.

Later, when I turned on my Zune (120 GB), I put the music I had on shuffle- the first song that played was '_Beat It_', sung by none other than MJ. Out of the hundreds of others songs I had on my Zune, it picked that one to be played first. I didn't like the coincidence, so I turned my Zune off, now in a bad mood. Later on the bus, this is the same day mind you, someone's phone goes off. Guess what their ringtone was? A instrumental version of '_Beat It_'- _that_ made go to suspicion and I began to wonder if someone was following me. Of course, I wasn't being followed, just a figment of my imagination. And I still told myself that I wasn't going to use the idea— as my brain decided to connect these weird coincidence with the story.

Turns out that my class was canceled for important reasons, leaving me with nothing to do. So, since I was already in the area, I told myself, "_Hey, why not go see some movie?_" The only movie that was playing at the time I got there was Dreamworks™ Megamind©. So, I brought a ticket and went to go see it. I found the movie to be quite enjoyable and funny. At least… until it reached towards the end of the movie. Guess what song was playing for about the last minute of the movie? It was none other than '_Bad_', another song sung by MJ. I literally spat my soda out, which splattered on the back of some bald-headed guys head (he _wasn't_ happy). Ignoring the obvious hated glare the guy gave me, I wondered, "_Am I being followed by his spirit or something!_" Instead of me coming out of the theaters in a humorous mood, I came out with a sneer- making any onlookers think that I hated the movie (I really did enjoy it, it just that part made me go WOAH!). I decided that now was a good time to go home.

When I finally arrived home, I did anything I needed to do– homework, a little studying etc. When all of that was done, I wanted to watch a movie, some other one that involved comedy. There was nothing good on TV, so, I turned my Zune back on and looked at my movie list. After debating with my own head, I decided to watch '13 going on 30'. I remembered bits and pieces of the movie, but not the whole thing. I was fine through most of the movie… until it reached the part that I forgot would happen. On the dance scene at the party, guess what song was playing? None other than '_Thriller_' of course! That made me, almost yelling to myself, "_What the heck! What do I have to do that doesn't involve MJ!_ _And I am still not using the second idea!_" At that, I turned off my Zune, not wanting to watch the movie anymore.

Since it was getting late, I was planning to go to bed soon. I told myself that if one more thing happened that involved MJ, then I will use the second idea for the story. I remember, very clearly, laughing at the idea, thinking that there was no way that it'll happen because it's already late in the day. What would be the chances of that happening? Very low.

Now, before I could go to bed, one of my brothers convinced me to try a computer game out— something called '_Plants Vs Zombies_'. I have heard about it, but refused to try it because it _looked_ very stupid. After a little convincing, I gave in and I warned him that the game better be good or he'll regret it. So I tried it out on his computer. Turns out the game is more addictive then it looked. I was having a ball destroying zombies… until I reached a certain stage that added a new addition to the zombie family- a dancing zombie that eerily looked like the zombie version of MJ from _Thriller_. First, I asked my brother if that zombie was supposed to represent anyone in particular, and he told me, "Oh yeah, I have the older version of the game. In the newer version they removed that zombie due to MJ's death or something. But you know, I like this version anyway." _Of course_ I wasn't hallucinating! Due to the undeniable evidence against me, I finally gave in to using the second idea for this chapter.

Yes, that's the story… really, it is. It's your own choice if you believe it or not… I still technically can't, that was just a plain weird day….

To add on to the weirdness, when I was looking for an violin version of _Smooth Criminal_. I read a short biography about it. The bio mentioned a certain group, it read, "South Korean boyband **TVXQ**'s 3rd Japanese album T has a track called TRICK that features Smooth Criminal's pre-chorus ("Are you okay, Annie?" is changed to "Are you okay, honey?")." Recognize the name of the band? TVXQ? Remember Chapter 15, Share the World? The song I featured in the chapter was sung by TVXQ! I _did not_ know that they sung their own version of _Smooth Criminal_! Now what are the chances of that happening! Just wow right? It really is a small world….

Though, maybe I should be glad I went with the second idea. Now that I have looked it over a few times, I think this idea was better than the first. If I compare the first idea to this one, the first idea seems juvenile….

I **cannot** guarantee it, but hopefully the next chapter will be up by **January 7, 2011 around 3PM, Eastern Time**. Until next time everyone! Thanks for reading!

_**THANK YOU ALL FOR REVIEWING (And to those that read anonymously)!**_


	25. Chapter 24, Duty

**Chapter 24, Duty**

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**FALL 16TH – FRIDAY**

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**Chelsea's POV**

"This cow is _so_ cute!" Popuri exclaimed as she continued to pet my cow, although she doesn't know it's mine.

Karen laughed at her excitement and commented, "We have a similar festival in Mineral Town. The cows are pretty good, too."

"Really?" I asked her.

She nodded her head to confirm her answer.

"So, what is Mineral Town like?" I asked her.

I meant to ask Dr. Trent some time ago about his hometown, but I kept forgetting or something more important was on my mind… not that the latter still doesn't apply….

"Mineral Town is like… here, almost. Peaceful, the townspeople are very kind, like family, the community is small but durable, and… wine, something your island is _seriously_ lacking."

I shrugged my shoulders, "Sorry that it isn't available to you. Maybe we'll have it in the future."

"In the future… I hope so…."

I saw Popuri pout and she put her hands on her hips.

"Kai is at it _again_!"

"_Kai?_" I thought, the name unfamiliar to me.

I saw Popuri about to stomp off somewhere, but Karen put a hand on her shoulder, stopping her, and shook her head.

"That isn't Kai, Popuri. Remember? You mistaken that guy to be him before. You told me," she explained.

I looked in the direction where Popuri thought she saw someone named Kai. But all I saw was Denny and Lanna talking.

Karen must have seen the confused look on my face, because she said, "The one wearing the purple bandanna on his head looks like Kai… almost a exact replica of him from this distance."

She looked around the meadow and continued with, "Now that I think about it, a lot of people here either look like someone at home or remind me of someone. Like… that guy reminds me of Gray, except for the cowboy getup. The frown is definitely the same, if anything."

She lightly waved her hand in the direction of where the booth would be located. I looked in the same direction, and it turned out she was talking about Vaughn, or rather comparing him to someone back at her hometown.

Unlike the last festival, he wasn't talking to anyone, leaving him alone. He was busy looking at a few of the cows that were submitted into the contest.

"_Is he one of the judges this year?_"

It would be awkward if he is one, but it won't be so bad, maybe….

I didn't hide the small smile I had towards him, not that he would have noticed it. I still felt grateful about his actions 3 days ago. Even though his act of kindness was a little indirect, maybe even a little screwy, it still made me feel… a little happy. Also, another thing that happened on that day, or night rather, I had a good sleep.

The dream I usually have, it did start horrific in the beginning. I was expecting something bad to happen in the dream to Vaughn, but… when it was time for something to go wrong… it didn't. The dream suddenly changed into something pleasant. In fact, everything faded from the endless black background to the familiar territory of the island.

I was really afraid at first, since I am experiencing awful events when I am awake. But the dream wasn't like that. The island in the dream had a pleasant aura to it. The people were happy, smiling cheerily and laughing. I saw many of the residents of the island, familiar faces. From Denny fishing and goofing off with Lanna to Charlie and Eliza playing house with a uncooperative Pierre. Even Vaughn happened to be there… he was relaxing under a tree at the base of the trunk, somewhere in the forest I think, when I met him (I was looking for him, to make sure he was okay I guess). His hat was leaned forward, more than usual, covering his eyes and most of his forehead. He had his hands behind his head, and I could see his chest slowly rising and falling, him silently breathing.

In the dream, I didn't wake him up. I let him sleep, but I sat down next to him, doing it quietly to not wake him. Once I was beside him, I looked down at him from my sitting position. He looked so relaxed, by his posture. Of course, he could be frowning under his hat for all I knew.

For a few moments longer I kept watching his chest rise and fall, before I brought my attention to his half covered face and at the few strands of white hair poking from under it, mostly his bangs.

The sudden impulse of me wanting to touch it came to me, along with the idea of what it would feel like. Will it feel as soft as snow or something else? I really did try to ignore the impulse, but then I wondered when will I have such a chance again? Most likely never.

I carefully brought a hand towards his head, while keeping my eyes on his breathing pattern. I moved his hat over a little, enough to see most of his bangs, but enough to cover his eyes still. After I nudged it over enough, with the same caution, I brought my hand to the white strands and just felt the texture of it.

It was soft to the touch, not as soft as snow, but soft enough. I briefly wondered what conditioner he used to make it feel _so_ soft.

I made my fingers slide through the strands of his hair, getting them tangled into the mass of it. Lucky for me, he didn't wake up, neither did his breathing change. I'm sure he wouldn't appreciate what I was doing right now.

In the dream, I felt myself be even more at peace with myself, and it made me want to take a nap too or at least close my eyes. Without untangling my hand from his hair, I made myself get into a similar laying position as Vaughn. My head against the base of the tree. Once I felt comfortable, I closed my eyelids and breath in the fresh air. I later found it weird that I was able to smell the green leaves in the air. I completely felt at peace….

I shook my head, to make the images retreat to another part of my mind– for now.

Remembering where I was at, I decided to give Karen and Popuri a quick wave of goodbye, deciding to go to Vaughn and ask his indirect opinion about the chances of my cow winning… and to see if he is really one of the judges.

He was still looking over one of the cows about time I reached him, "Morning Vaughn!"

I didn't startle him, as I somewhat expected. He continued looking at one of the cows over, as if he didn't hear me.

I was about to try to gain his attention again, but he turned away from the cow he was looking at to face me. He at first blinked at me once, as if he was _confused_. That expression quickly changed into his usual frown, but it seemed to be focused at me, as if I did something wrong.

"Is something wrong?" I asked him.

"Chelsea… why are you here?"

At first, I thought maybe he was asking a rhetorical question. But the expression he held looked too serious and he's not really the jokester type.

"It's the Cow Festival, and since one of the animals I work with are cows, of course I'm going to be here."

He let out a frustrated sigh, "Please don't tell me that you actually _entered_ the competition."

Of course I gave him a baffled look, "It's a Cow Festival. People like me are going to enter."

"But _you_ shouldn't have entered."

"And why not?" I asked, my voice became strained a little.

"Chelsea, you entered two past animal competitions and something went wrong both times. _Why_ would you chance that a third time?"

Vaughn was right, but it's not like I _didn't_ think about that. Of course, I didn't think it was possible for something to go wrong _this_ time. I have made sure of that.

I checked Steak's health for the past few days, making sure she wasn't ill. I asked Mark a few questions about her, making sure she didn't get excited or frightened by anything. The answers he gave me satisfied my fear, as she doesn't get excited about anything and she wasn't frightened as easily… not that anyone could, not if I kept an constant eye on her. I made extra precautions concerning other things, and she came through with everything.

Based on my results, what was there to fear?

I turned my body slightly in order to keep an eye on my cow, making sure nobody else went near it.

"I don't think anything will happen this time."

"_Think_?" he repeated, not liking my word choice.

"Well, nothing will go wrong. I took the necessary precautions to make sure of that."

"And you have thought about the problems that could occur from different angles? _If_ something goes wrong anyway?"

"Nothing will go wrong," I repeated.

He let out another sigh and slightly shook his head, "Alright… but I still think it's not a good idea for you to enter."

I internally coughed, purposely not making a comment about his statement, "Are you a judge?"

"Why are you asking?"

I wasn't sure if that meant he was a judge or not. The few times I have asked him a question, he would sometimes ask a question back to avoid answering it… mostly the answer being what I think.

"So, you are a judge?"

"No, I am not one," he answered, probably figured out where my mindset was heading, "Why are you asking?" he repeated.

"If you were one, I wouldn't be able to ask for your last minute advice. As that would be cheating, right?"

He looked behind me, in the direction where Karen and Popuri were still at, admiring my cow (unknown to them though). Vaughn looked at her for a few more moments before he looked back at me.

"Just do what you normally do. Make sure she is calm, talk to her, and pat her. Make her feel comfortable. For your sake, you should do it _thoroughly_," he said in that serious tone of his.

I could tell that he still had doubts about my cow, or rather, that nothing would go wrong this time.

"_Not unless the nut is planning to shoot my cow or something stupid as that, there is no other way to cause harm to it or to startle it,_" I thought, still determined that nothing could go wrong.

"I thought you didn't believe in the… omen," I finished, making sure I didn't let anything slip from my mouth by accident.

"I don't but… I feel like something will go wrong." He closed his eyes for a moment. "I'm more afraid of what I have to do if something does go wrong," he said, barely above a whisper, though it seemed to be mostly directed to himself than to me.

He opened his eyes again, "You should go do that now. The voting portion will be begin in a few minutes."

I gave him a quick nod, "I understand… and thank you, Vaughn."

"For what?"

"For… everything," I said instead of being specific.

I decided to leave him then, not missing the look of bewilderment on his face. It didn't take me long to reach my cow again, and I was glad Karen and Popuri had moved elsewhere, otherwise they would have known this cow was mine.

"Hey Steak, just making sure you're okay for the competition at the last minute," I said to her as I patted her back gently.

I _really_ hoped that I was right, that nothing would go wrong.

"_How could it? I took every precaution. The criminal has to be really desperate or stupid to cause trouble now._"

"_Or really smart,_" my conscience whispered.

I heard it, but I didn't believe it, maybe I didn't want to believe it.

"Everyone! It's now time for everyone to vote, excluding the competitors! Please come up to the booth and vote! Remember, to vote for the cow you liked the most!" Mirabelle yelled, bringing me back to reality.

From my position, I watched the voters, both being residents and non-residents of the island. I watched them begin to approach the booth. I saw Denny, Lanna, Will, and other familiar faces go up to it, not counting Vaughn. He either was lying that he wasn't a judge, or he didn't want to vote to not seem unfair. The latter was more likely.

I looked around the meadow and noticed that Popuri was still looking over an cow while Karen was trying to get her to vote at the booth.

At the same moment, I felt my hand shake, and it wasn't me that moved it.

I looked down at my hand, seeing that it was still resting on the back of my cow. I sighed in relief when I realized that my hand only shook because Steak was shivering, as if it was cold.

"_Or maybe it's afraid_," my conscience said to me, putting me in alert.

I looked around the meadow and started to slide my hand gently against her back, trying to calm her down while looking for the source that could be frightening her.

"_Maybe it's her nerves._"

Unfortunately, what I was doing wasn't working. When I looked back at Steak's face, it looked petrified, with its eyes going as large as it could and it's body shuddering more than it should. Her head began to move around too, as if searching for her fear.

"Steak, don't panic, calm down. I'm here," I whispered to her in a calm tone, while my eyes weren't having any luck finding anything out of the ordinary inside of the meadow, the source.

"_Maybe you should get Vaughn_," again, my conscience was giving me good advice.

I carefully removed my hand from Steak's back, ready to go into a dead run towards Vaughn about her behavior. But, I think removing my hand was a mistake, and it was too late for me to take my action back.

As soon as my hand left her back, Steak let out a very loud sound; a cry that sounded like it was warning about whatever danger she felt and probably seen.

She started a chain reaction.

Every cow in the meadow began to look just as startled as my own. Their eyes widening and their bodies shuddering in fear. Some of them went beyond that by mooing and moving their bodies rapidly. I could hear their owners asking various questions to their cow. The tone of their voices just as frightened.

"Betsy what's wrong!"

"Mooda! Girl why ya shakin'?"

"Calm down Spots! You're moving too much!"

There were other voices muddled with those, but I couldn't hear them all.

I was so focused with the other cows that I forgot about my own… another stupid mistake.

Steak shook her head, hitting me in the process and hard enough to push me away.

"_This doesn't look good,_" I thought.

I tried to calm her down, but hen she took off, literally running as if she was in a stampede. I had no idea that cows could move that fast, but it could be due to the adrenaline running through her veins.

Due to her actions, she caused other cows to follow behind , now really causing a stampede to happen.

I managed to move out of the way in time. At that moment my mind remembered what happened last time, with Julia being hit in the face by hooves. With so many now, it wasn't possible for _anyone_ to survive this if they happened to be ran over.

In panic, I looked around the meadow for Julia, making sure the same wouldn't happen twice. Luck happened to be with her this time, she was behind the booth, safe. Mirabelle was with her as well, just as safe.

With the chaos ensuing, people were taking cover in order to avoid the stampede. A few people managed to get their cow to calm down while others were chasing behind their own. So far, it looked like nobody was getting hurt.

I decided to find my own, she had to be towards the front since she started the whole chain. Sure enough, I saw her towards the front, and she was trying to run across the bridge. Unfortunately for me, Popuri was in her way, and she looked frightened, stuck stiff to her spot. Karen was yelling at her to move, I could hear her voice from where I stood.

I didn't know what the chances were of me stopping my cow in time, but I rather do something then to just stand here and do nothing. With that thought in my head, I ran towards my cow, but I could tell that I wouldn't make it in time.

"_No! Not again!_"

I forced my legs to move faster, to try to get there in time. I ignored the taste in my mouth and my brain's warnings to stop in order to rest. I didn't have time to rest.

"_You're not going to make it!_" my conscience yelled in my head.

I saw Popuri open her mouth, a scream coming out as she used her hands to cover her head. I expected her to get hit by my cow and fall to the ground while the others stampede on her… but it didn't.

A miracle happened.

All I saw was a blur where Popuri stood once before. The blur turned out to be Shea, and he had moved her out of the way. He moved not only her out of the way, but himself as well. I saw him on the other side, a safe distance away from the cows that began to run across the bridge. He had her slung over one shoulder while Popuri was still screaming, most likely thinking that the inevitable happened.

When she realized that she was safe, she immediately stopped screaming, her mouth partly open in surprise. She turned her head to the side, getting ready to say something to him. But Shea put her down on her feet before she could utter a word to him.

I sighed in relief, "_Thank Harvest Goddess!_"

Obviously being raised in a jungle had its advantages, if Shea proved anything.

I shook my head and focused back on trying to stop my cow. She's probably running around in town now, "_Thank goodness that everyone is here... or at least most._"

I ran towards the bridge, but before I could cross I was intercepted by Shea, forcing me to stop.

He gave me a serious look and said, "Something wrong. Animals afraid… Shea hear animals afraid in jungle."

I didn't understand what he meant with the animals in the jungle. He must have understood my confusion because he pointed upward, making me look up. The sight in the sky nearly had my eyeballs fall out of their sockets.

There were birds, hundreds of them, flying over the meadow, squawking and cawing. Most of the birds looked like crows, and the way they were flying together made it look like a dark cloud then a flight of birds taking off.

"_What's going on?_"

I wasn't the only one that noticed, as others in the meadow did as well. I could hear many of them talking, with fear aligned in their tones. I didn't know what was causing this, but it couldn't be good. Whatever scared Steak seemed to have scared the animals in the jungle too.

"_Is this the criminal's doing? Or someone– __something__– else doing this?_" I asked myself.

"Shea be back. Shea and Wada go see jungle, see what wrong."

I looked back at him and I saw him withdraw his knife from his side, having it ready in a defensive pose. Wada happened to be by his side, probably appeared when I wasn't looking. Shea and Wada looked at each, nodded once as they made a silent agreement, and then they took off across the bridge in haste.

Not too long after, a few others from behind me ran past me. Possibly the owners of the cows that were running amok in the town area.

"_Including my own,_" I reminded myself.

I took off across the bridge, and I began the immediate search of finding Steak.

* * *

**Shea's POV**

Wada and I got to jungle. Animals are… afraid, a mess. Loud animal noises everywhere.

"What animals afraid of?" I asked Wada.

Wada shook head. Wada not sure too.

"Shea and Wada split?"

Wada nod head. He pointed one way, "…Shea…."

I nod and go the way Wada point, with knife tight in hand and feet quiet. Animal noises still loud.

"_Wrong. Something wrong…._"

I feel in stomach, something wrong. But no what wrong.

"_What danger?_"

Small animals run and hide, shaking, afraid.

"_Hope big animals hide too. Shea could be in danger…._"

I walk, still quiet. Still no what scare animals. Maybe animals just nervous?

"_No, something wrong…._"

I stop and see two yellow… eyes, not dots, in bush.

"Big black cat?"

Big black cat growl at I. I confuse.

"Big black cat? Friend?"

I point to I, "Friend…. What wrong?"

Big black cat still growl, louder at I. I lift knife higher.

"Shea no hurt friend…."

Big black cat shook head, and no listen. Big black cat jump at me. I move quick, no want to hurt friend.

"What wrong! Shea friend!"

Big black cat still no listen. Big cat move paw and try to hit I. I move again, and I climb nearby tree.

"_Big cat no listen!_"

I should run. No want to hurt friend or fight. But big cat no give up, it start to chase I. I jump onto next tree and swing from vine to vine to move away– but big cat fast. I see big cat behind me, jumping too.

"_Big cat no give up…._"

Since I look behind, I no watch step… I miss and fall to ground, hit back. Fall gave big cat time to hurt I. Big cat jump down, mouth open as if to eat me. I roll, ignore hurt on back. I stand again and try to talk to friend again.

"Shea friend… no enemy. Big cat afraid?"

Big cat move paw fast, I no move in time…. Sharp nails hit stomach, and back hit tree. I feel hurt.

When I hit tree, I drop knife too… and big cat move knife away. I no weapon now.

"_Shea in trouble…. Shea in trap…!_"

Big cat bend close to ground, show teeth, and growl.

"_Shea no do!_"

Big cat ready to jump, but spear appear out of nowhere, making big cat jump back. Wada come out with spear in hand, and he growl back at big cat.

I lucky.

Big cat growl too, but Wada no give up. He move spear in big cat face and growl again, warning big cat to go away.

Big cat finally give up, turn, and run… for now.

Wada grunt after big cat, and turn to see I okay.

Wada help me up, "….. Okay…..?"

"Shea okay…. Shea and Wada go home?"

Wada nod head and help me. Wada find knife and give back. While walking with Wada, "Wada find wrong?"

Wada shake head.

"_Something wrong… but no find wrong…. What wrong with animals?_"

"…. Home… Safe…."

"_Home… safe… but Shea fail to find wrong…. Shea fail Chelsea. Shea fail Mark. Shea fail friend. Shea fail everyone. Shea fail… Shea._"

Thought made Shea sad.

**

* * *

Vaughn's POV**

Everyone finally managed to calm their cows down, though, they were still shaky. I was calming someone's cow down now. Although my actions towards it were calm, my mind was restless.

"_What exactly happened?_"

Whatever happened wasn't normal… even Kuu went a little crazy. Denny had to calm him down by gripping it with both hands, keeping its struggles down and to prevent it from flying away in fear. From going off with the other birds that flew off.

"_Something scared them…._"

I patted the cow's back once more and muttered calming words to it as well. It didn't stop shaking completely, but it was at least calm and it was unlikely it would go charging off again.

Due to the dilemma that was going on, the competition was canceled, of course.

"_I __knew__ something was going to happen…._"

I should have listened to my gut feeling and been more forceful to Chelsea, telling her to forfeit.

"_Even if she did get angry with me, at least this would have been prevented._"

Something scared all of the animals, but Chelsea's….

"Hey, you!" someone yelled from behind me, obviously angry.

I turned to face the speaker, but he wasn't alone. He had two others standing beside him, all three of them being competitors for the cow competition.

"_This can't be good._"

I made sure my expression was the usual, a 'frown' as Julia told me once, "Yeah?"

"Ya that animal deala, right?" the guy asked me.

"Yeah. What's it to you?"

The guy sneered at me for a second before he continued, "Well, ya may not rememba me, but I sur' as hell rememba ya."

I looked the guy over real quick… and I didn't recognize him. He was obviously a farmer, based on the dingy gray slacks he was wearing along with the classic straw hat.

"I don't remember every person I deal with."

"Still the same asswipe as eva'. Ya the one tha' took my winnin' cow, Shake."

At the sound of the cow's name, the owner's name came to me.

"Ah, now I actually remember you. You're that annoying guy, Pakerson…. You look like you haven't changed since I last saw you."

"I still disagree 'bout ya takin' Shake away from me."

"Maybe if you have taken better care of her I wouldn't have taken her away. You're lucky she was the only one I could take away. Otherwise, you wouldn't be a farmer anymore."

He gritted his teeth at me, "Ya bastard! What ya did wasin' fair!"

"Look, I don't have time for your stupidity. Your 'prized' cow was taken away because she was sick for a long period of time and you didn't do a damn thing about it… and it looks like I'll be taking away your other cow. Mooda was her name, right?"

He spat somewhere on the side and growled at me, but it quickly turned into a smirk, "There's no need fo' tha'. Though, I am quite curious 'bout somethin'…."

His sudden mood change didn't sit well with me. He was obviously up to something, and the other two people standing by him haven't said anything yet, making me even more suspicious.

I decided to remain silent.

"Not talkin' eh? Well, tha' alright…. My question is, I been hearing 'bout some interestin' rumors on this island. 'Bout how some animal festivals bein' canceled due to somethin' goin' wrong." He looked at the nails on one of his hands and flicked some dirt from under his nails, "And from what I hear, the farmer responsible ain't been punished. Punished as in, no animals takin' away from them."

He finally looked back at me, his smirk growing wider, "What I find interestin' is that ya give this farmer a warnin'. Yet, with everyone else, we didn't get a warnin'…. Now, if I am thinkin' this all right, tha' would be called unfairness."

To prove his point, one of the other competitors standing next to him spoke up. This one being female, "I agree with him. When you took my horse away, you didn't give me a warning at all… and it was my first offense!"

The other spoke up as well, another male farmer, "Even though I find his language a little offensive and his attitude to be quite conceited, I can't help but agree with him. On my first offense last year, I wasn't given a warning at all. I believe if I was given one, I wouldn't have made the same mistake again, or any other one if you told me what they were."

Pakerson's smirk turned into a smug grin, making me have the sudden urge to want to punch his teeth out.

"Ya see? It ain't jus' me tha' think it's unfair. We are _all_ wonderin' why ya haven't done ya job all sudden. Why ya bend the rules for this particular farmer?"

"_I could ask the same about your breath._"

"No answer? Well, tha' alright. 'Cause we are plannin' to file a complaint 'bout ya workin' habits, how it's unfair for the rest of us, but it's okay for this one to slide."

"Good luck with that. I haven't received a complaint about my job in my life."

That statement wasn't entirely true. There have been complaints filed against me a few times, mostly about my 'attitude' and 'behavior'. Of course my boss would scold me a little, but he doesn't do much else. Since I do a excellent job of taking care of animals and my guarantee rate is ninety-five percent, I don't have to worry about being fired from the job. Plus, he earned good revenue because of me, as I am one of the best animal workers for his company.

"_But if this complaint goes through... I might be on a very slim line of being fired…._"

I _didn't_ need that type of problem. It was already hard enough for me to find this job in the first place. I don't believe I'll have as much luck finding another….

"Is tha' so? Well, this be ya first, ain't it? Maybe we will complain so loud tha' ya'll lose ya job. How tha' sound?"

I managed to control the urge to punch him, but I couldn't stop my right hand from balling into a fist.

"_As much as I __hate__ this guy, he isn't wrong… not entirely…._"

"Look, all of you need to mind your business. I have dealt with those past situations… and my boss is the one that gave me the orders. He's the one that told me that it was okay to let it slide for his own _personal_ reasons," I lied to them while managing to say this with a straight face.

Pakerson's grin faltered, probably not happy that Chelsea was given a free 'get out of jail' card… as far as he knew.

His grin came back shortly, though not as wide, "Ya said past. What 'bout now?"

"That's none of your damn business."

"Hmmm... Maybe ya right, but I sur' do hope it's punishment fo' the farmer. Or there might be consequences."

I scoffed at his words and turned away from them. His words stuck on me like glue, and my fire was fueled by it; making me walk across the bridge, out of the meadow, and walk on the path to reach Mill's Ranch… to do my job… something I should have done the first time it happened.

"_I have no one to blame but myself._"

I must have been walking real fast or my strides were really long, because I was at the entrance of the ranch now.

I could feel that annoying tug in the back of my brain, warning me that my 'goody' conscience wanted to say something. I quickly buried it away before it could even whisper anything to me. It wasn't going to stop what I needed to do, not now.

I headed towards the stable first, assuming she would be there… she wasn't. While inside, I noticed that Dash and Keeper looked a little shaken up too, as if something frightened them as well. The stable itself looked fine, nothing out of the ordinary. The sight just made the small fire I held change into a bigger flame, it could turn out of control any minute.

I didn't do any further investigating, quickly leaving the stable and I headed towards the chicken coop… she wasn't there either. The strange thing is that when I looked around, the chickens looked fine. They didn't seem startled in the least bit, they acted like it was like any other ordinary day. The sight was strange, but it proved to me that the cause of the events at the festival had to do with her… not that it didn't before.

I left the coop without any second thoughts and went to the barn, the only place she could be at. When I entered the barn, she was there of course.

She was busy patting her cow's back, Steak if I remember right. I don't think she heard me enter. I got her attention when I slammed the door behind me, purposely doing it.

I saw her shake a little, startled it seems before she looked my way. I expected to see anticipation or possibly anger on her face… but she momentarily surprised me when I saw confusion.

"Vaughn…? Why are you here? I thought they canceled the competition."

Of course, she could be faking, pretending to not know the reason for my appearance.

"It has been canceled," I answered, just to clarify her doubts, fake or not.

"Oh…."

I then saw her bite her bottom lip and her eyes looked downward.

"_Now__ she knows why I'm here._"

Of course I could be reading her expression all wrong. Maybe she's nervous about something else. I had to be sure about her thoughts, what I think I know.

I leaned against the door as I folded my arms, "You know why I'm here?"

Her whole body stiffens at the sound of my voice, making me conclude my earlier thoughts.

Instead of voicing my conclusion to her, I waited for her to answer. I wanted her to answer my own question, aloud. I wanted her to _admit_ my own thoughts, to admit that I was right and she was wrong.

However, for the next few minutes, I realized she wasn't going to answer me. I felt like she was doing it purposely, maybe even delaying me.

"Answer me," I said through my teeth, she was making the fire in me grow slowly.

She finally stopped biting her bottom lip and slowly looked back at me.

"To… take one of my animals away," she finally admitted.

"Who said it'll only be one?" I asked.

She looked at me with wide eyes, clearly shocked.

"You're… taking more than one?" she asked nervously.

"No," I said as I stood straight again, "I'm just letting you know that it's possible."

She bit her bottom lip again ad said, "What happened at the festival wasn't my fault."

I _knew_ she was going to say something like that.

"Don't try to give me excuses for what happened."

"You were there Vaughn. You saw all of the animals go crazy, it wasn't just mine."

"But yours _started_ the whole thing. The other cows were just fine. Once your cow gave a call in alarm, it caused the other cows to react the same way. And before you mention it, the birds that flew overhead probably reacted to it as well, including Kuu."

I unfolded my arms and headed towards one of the cows, the one she was standing in front of. Even when I was standing in front of her, she still didn't move.

"Move," I warned her.

I expected her to put up a fight, verbal or otherwise. I expected her to argue further, even if she was wrong. I expected her to stand her ground, even if I could easily move her. I expected her rage, at herself and me.

She didn't give me the satisfaction of any of those. Instead, she quietly sidestep to the side, while still looking down.

I looked at her for a moment, waiting to see if she'll change tactics… she didn't.

Without even thinking about my movements, I removed the rope I always had tied on my belt. It took me a few minutes to untangle it and tie it around Steak's neck. The cow let out a sad moo, as if it understood what was happening. I just patted her head once, silently letting her know that everything would be okay.

Once I thought the rope was tight enough, I took the loose end of the rope and gently tugged it towards the door. Chelsea remained silent the whole time, even when I reached the door.

I turned away from the door and looked at her, "I will bring the papers stating exactly what you need to do and what you have agreed to later. Understand?"

She simply nodded her head, still not saying a thing.

"Good. And, due to this, you can't enter any future animal festivals… that's an order, you don't have an option."

In reply to me, she nodded her head again. She didn't realize it, but her silent responses were irritating me. It made the fire within me reach a higher level, close to explosion.

"Why… aren't you _trying_ to negotiate with me?" I asked, as calmly as I could, trying to suppress the flames from reaching an uncontrollable level.

Her eyes looked up at me, and what I saw made me feel like I would faint from the emotions that swirled within them. To prevent that from happening, possible or not, I decided to grip onto the flames, focusing on my anger… _she's_ the one that made me do this.

"It's your job to take away animals that are being mistreated or are in danger due to the owner's conditions or actions. I'm not going to argue that point…. I… don't want to be treated differently from anyone else. If that's the rule… then that's the rule."

That _wasn't_ what I wanted to hear. I didn't expect this to be _this_ easy. I wanted the fight, I wanted the rage, I wanted the struggle. She didn't deliver what I wanted… what I _expected_.

Instead, she's giving me this… _depressing_ expression filled with expectations, as if she expected me to do something. As if what I was doing was _wrong_.

It made the flames explode, and I felt myself go out of control, not being able to hold in what I wanted to say.

I actually hissed at her, a little, and glared at her before I practically yelled at her, "Damn it Chelsea! What do you _want_ to do!"

Her expression changed into confusion. As if she didn't know what I was talking about!

"Do you really want me to write on my report that it's because of some omen and then get thrown into some asylum? Do you want me to quit my job or maybe lose it for not doing it? Do you want me to excuse this event like the past ones? Huh?"

She didn't look confused anymore, but her mostly blank expression didn't make me feel any better… neither was her silence to my outburst.

"You _answer_ _me_ damn it!"

Her expression didn't change, even when she said, "I want you to do your job… and to stop giving me special treatment. Just because we are—" I saw her expression falter, as if she was in pain. It was quick, a glance, making me almost unsure if I really saw it. She changed it back into a blank one before I could ponder, continuing, "–_friends_, it doesn't mean you owe me _anything_."

Her reply should have been enough for me; it should have smothered the fire inside of me into oblivion. But instead, something in her reply made one of my eyes wince and I felt like I wanted to vomit.

I decided that I hung around long enough. With another tug of the rope while opening the door, me and Steak exit out of the barn… and Chelsea didn't follow either.

"_I wouldn't be surprised if she doesn't leave until I am long gone…._"

I stood by the barn door for a few moments, wondering if I'll hear anything instead… but not a sound emitted from inside.

I thought I heard my conscience utter, "_This isn't normal behavior._"

I shook my head, ignoring my conscience that happened to work its way to the forefront of my mind anyway. Tugging the rope, we started our walk out.

Steak was giving me a slight hard time, sometimes stopping completely in its tracks, forcing me to stop. During those times, I would have to tug the rope a little harder, forcing her to continue the walk to the beach.

When I reached the beach, the ferry to the city wasn't there.

"_Looks like I have to wait for the next one._"

I wrapped some of the rope around my hand, to make sure Steak wouldn't wander off. Once I thought she was settled, I made myself as comfortable as possible sitting on the sand. I looked out into the ocean, waiting for the ferry to come back to take me to the city.

"_The paperwork is going to take me a bit of time to write… what should I fill in to explain why I took Steak away?_"

I stiffen at my question. How could I ask myself that? I already know what happened and why I am taking Steak away. But, if that's true… then why did I ask myself that question?

Someone beside me made a 'umph' sound, stopping my pondering mind. I let out a sigh, as I already knew who it was without looking. I mean really, who _else_ could it be?

"Must you always bother me… and how the hell do you keep finding _me_?"

Every time I come to the beach, regardless what I am doing, he seems to always shows up… which is weird in itself.

Denny gave me a look with an eyebrow raised, "Maybe it's because I fish on the beach, meaning I'll be here most of time."

"Ugh… Be quiet, you're irritating."

He gave me a lopsided grin, "No need to have a cow man."

"… Shut up."

The small grin faded as he scratched the top of his head and let out a sigh, "I thought we were past this stage already."

Kuu made some chirping sound, as if it was backing up his claim.

Denny intertwined his fingers and put them behind his head, "What's up with the cow?"

"I'm bringing her to the city."

"I figured that much. Though, I usually see you bring animals to the island, not the other way around."

His arms went above his head, stretching for a moment before he relaxed his arms, "Something about the cow festival right?"

I decided to keep my mouth closed. I wasn't in the mood for his chattering. Of course, Denny usually figures things out without me telling him anything. Something that I find annoying and yet, possibly helpful.

As I expected, he came up with his own conclusions, "I don't know everything about your job, but I always wondered what happened to animals being mistreated… or something like it." He brought his gaze to Steak, "But it makes sense…. And let me guess, this cow is Chelsea's?"

"Okay, how do you know this? Not many think of it the other way around."

"I kind of overheard the conversation at the meadow. Those farmers looked mad with you."

"_No kidding…._"

"They were kind of loud," he said as he took his fishing rod from behind him and looked it over.

He remained quiet for the next few minutes, still looking over his fishing rod while poking it a few times, inspecting it for any flaws. I took this as a sign that he was waiting for me to say something.

"I really hope you're not trying to send me on some guilt trip."

"No," he said immediately before he laid his fishing rob beside him. "Do you feel that way?"

"It's my job."

He nodded his head once in understanding, not arguing my logic.

A question formed in my mind, but I wanted to relay it as a statement. Of course, probably in his view, it might been seen as me asking for his advice, "Unless you're thinking of something else…."

I saw him close his eyes and his head lifted up slightly, deep in thought. He remained that way for several seconds before he opened his eyes again.

"Nope. I've got nothing," he said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"_What the hell!_"

"Wh-What is _that_ supposed to mean! Every other time you seem to have some stupid answer and now you actually have nothing to say!" I exclaimed at him, more than irritated with him.

He shrugged his shoulders again, "I don't have answers to _everything_. I will admit though, that you're in a tough spot."

"Thanks for pointing out the obvious," I said sarcastically.

"I will also like to add in… do you think you're really doing your job?"

I gave him a baffled look, "What are you talking about? I_ am_ doing my job."

"Hmmm… I suppose you are," he said as he stood up with his fishing rod in hand before he patted off any sand from his body.

He looked down at me from his standing position, "Do your duty today, regret tomorrow, right?"

At that, he left while whistling some stupid tune, fishing rod slung over his shoulder as he left the beach– probably to go fish elsewhere. I glowered after his walking figure, not being able to think of anything to say to his statement.

"_Stupid fisherman._"

**

* * *

Dr Trent's POV**

Two pairs of eyes were looking at me, one held wrath about what happened while the other still look shaken up with what happened. Both held their bags in hand, ready to leave to return home, vacation cut abruptly short.

I gently leaned my back against the dresser behind me in my room, while they continued to look at me from my closed doorway.

"Can you believe it Dr. Trent! Popuri was almost ran over by a cow! If it wasn't for that strange jungle looking guy getting her out of way in time, she could have been seriously hurt!" Karen exclaimed, still angry about the unfortunate event that happened.

I gave her a nod in agreement, "I'm glad that it didn't happen…. It seems you two are planning to leave."

"You're damn straight we are! That's the second time something went wrong at a animal festival."

Her statement jogged my memory of the past event, the chicken festival.

"_That's right. They were here for that too… how unfortunate._"

At the same time, I hoped Karen wouldn't link the two events as being related, hoping that she would chalk them up to be mere coincidence.

I was hoping for too much.

"You know… that is strange. Both animal festivals were canceled due to something going wrong. If I remember right, it had something to do with Chelsea. The chicken festival and the ringworm and now… a cow that went berserk," she mused aloud.

Her gazed changed from anger to suspicion, directed at me.

"Something like that can't be coincidence…. Do _you_ know what's going on?"

I tried to lie, I really did. Unfortunately, for my profession, I've been trained to tell the full and whole truth to patients— even if the news is really bad. Since I have been a doctor for years, the habit has sunk so deep into my skin that it's nearly impossible for me to lie about anything.

And Karen knew this.

"Well!"

"_Maybe if I look away and then reply she won't notice._"

I slightly turned to face my dresser, pretending to look for something, and then I said to her, "I think you're… over thinking things, Karen."

"_Stop_– whatever you are doing and turn around to look back at me. I want you to say that to my face."

I stopped my false searching and slowly turned around to look at her.

"_Just repeat it… just repeat it,_" I told myself.

I finally faced her again, putting on a professional smile, at least I hoped it was.

"As I said Karen, I think you're…."

Her eyes slightly became thinner, making her look scarier then she usually is.

"You're…"

The corners of her mouth turned downward, showing disapproval at my hesitation.

"You're…"

Finally, her eyebrows went downward as well, nearly touching. I felt like she could see right through me and that she had to power to hurt me if she detected even a _small_ lie.

"_Oh God! I can't stand the look!_"

"You're… not over thinking things _too_ much, Karen," I admitted, not being able to lie to her.

Of course, telling her the truth didn't ease _my_ side, it just gave her more fuel.

"_You_… You bastard! You knew this? The whole time you knew something was going on and you didn't bother telling us? You put us in danger, as well as yourself!"

"Well, I… I didn't _mean_ to not tell you anything. I just… I just assumed nothing would happen to you two."

"We're leaving," she said abruptly. "And you're coming with us," she finished.

I think I felt my neck turn 360 degrees and I think I received whiplash at the same time.

"What?" I said, thinking I heard incorrectly, hoping I did.

"You. Are. Coming. With. _Us_," she said each word slowly.

"No, I can't," I told her without hesitation.

Her incredulous look told it all.

"What!"

"I'm not leaving," I told her in the same tone.

She dropped her bags on the ground and stomped up to me until her face nearly met my own.

"Are you out of your _mind_?"

"I can't leave. You're asking me to do too much."

"Why not?"

"I can't abandon my patients."

"_Damn_ the patients!" she yelled as she stomped one foot onto the floor, "What will you do if something happens to _you_?"

"I said I can't abandon my patients!" I yelled in her face, suddenly feeling out of breath.

She just stared at me, maybe surprised, I rarely yell about anything. I don't even remember when was the last time I did it.

I turned away from her to go sit at my bed, wiping a hand over my face.

"I… _can't_ abandon my patients–" I finally reached the bed as I took a seat on it, "–not again…." I finished lowly.

Past memories plagued my mind for a moment. I chased them away when I swept my fingers through my hair, resting the hand on the back of my neck. My breathing was coming out in ragged breaths. I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to calm the rapid beating of my heart, and trying to erase the forbidden words Karen yelled at me.

"Dr. Trent?" Popuri said, her voice lined with concern and possibly fear.

I opened my eyes and looked her way, she was still standing by the doorway.

"Ye-yeah?"

"What… did you mean by that?"

"By what?"

"You… said you not again. What did you mean by that?"

I stiffen at her words, "_Did I… say that?_"

It took me a moment to realize that I did. I didn't mean to say it aloud, only to myself, a reminder to myself.

I let out a exasperated sigh, "_Well, it's already out there…._"

I let my fingers slide through my hair again before resting my forearm on my knee.

"Did I ever tell you guys why I left the city? Why I decided to be a doctor of a small community?"

Both women shook their heads at my question.

"Well… I left because I couldn't take it anymore…."

I bit my bottom lip for a moment before I looked towards them. Karen was now standing by the door again, next to Popuri. Both of them looking at me expectedly.

"The thing people forget about hospitals is that…. It's true that people are healed and diagnosed at a hospital, to make them feel better and to find an cure. But… it's also the place of death."

I sucked in a large amount of breath before I continued, "Do you know what it's like to look a child in the eyes and tell them that they have to wait for an heart transplant? And then to tell them that they have only _this–_" I lifted a hand with my thumb and pointing finger barely touching, "–amount of time to get an transplant _before_ they die if they don't get one in time."

I let my hand fall against my knee again, "Do you know what it's like to turn someone down for healthcare just because they didn't have the health insurance to cover it? And the person that you're turning down is someone's mother, father, wife, or husband– and they're _dying_."

My hands gripped my knees tightly. I was gripping them tight enough that I could make myself crippled, "Do you know what it's like to do surgery on someone, to try to save them… yet they end up dying anyway? And then to leave the procedure room to tell the family that person died… under _your_ watch."

I saw Popuri gripping Karen's arm tightly, and it looked like she was crying.

"And do you know what did it for me? When enough was enough?"

Popuri moved closer to Karen, somewhat hiding behind her, as if she was trying to block out what I was saying.

"Do you know what it's like to help deliver a baby for 12 hours or more straight… only to hand a stillborn child over to the mother… and you hear nothing but the mother's crying for hours on end while the father yells in your face for killing it?"

"STOP IT!" Popuri suddenly yelled, forcing my mind to halt the past images that flashed through my mind.

Due to her outburst, I was taken out of my daze and I saw that there were fresh tears sliding down her face and she had both of her hands gripping Karen's arm tightly, her nails digging into her skin. Karen didn't seemed bothered by it, she looked more stunned. I focused on her face the most.

"But… maybe when I left the city, I was being selfish…. I said I left because I couldn't take it anymore… but, what I really did… was abandon my patients… especially the children…. What kind of doctor does that make me? What doctor abandons their patients?"

I loosened my grip on my knees, they were beginning to actually hurt. I lifted one hand and slid my hand from my forehead to the bottom of my chin, keeping my thumb and pointing finger resting there.

"Maybe… I am here as punishment for those actions…." I quietly said.

I saw Karen open her mouth, but I spoke up before she could say anything, "I would have to be a fool to make the same mistake twice. I abandoned my patients before. I didn't fulfill my duty, but never again… _never_ again…."

I made my body lean backwards a little, enough to make my body relax a little.

Silence took over the room. It could have dragged on forever for all I cared… I had a lot on my mind now anyway….

Karen finally broke the silence, her voiced seemed broken itself, "I…. If you feel that way, then I will not force you to– abandon your patients." She swallowed for a moment before continuing, "However, if Elli hears about this and she asks me anything… I _will_ tell her the truth."

I sighed at her words, but I didn't complain. Apparently, she wasn't done.

"Also… I want you to make a promise…. Not for me, your patients, or even for Elli… but for yourself."

"… and what's that?" I asked her quietly.

"I want you to make a promise that you will leave if things get real bad for you. If you can't handle the pressure… then you come home, even if that means abandoning your patients."

I felt angry with her. Didn't she hear a single word I said?

Before I could repeat myself, she said, "If something happens to you, you won't be able to help your patients anymore— current or future ones. So, don't kill yourself…."

Karen eased Popuri's grip from her arm before she bent down to pick up her suitcase.

"Come on Popuri, let's go check out…."

Karen opened the door and waited for Popuri to join her. She joined her side, but she gave me a quick glance and said, "Be safe Dr. Trent… you have my luck."

She went out the door first, before Karen stepped out behind her. She gave me a last glance, but she didn't say anything else, not even when she quietly closed the door behind her.

I stared at the closed door, as if I could see through it. Although, I couldn't help but ask myself, "_Am I doing the right thing?_"

"_I thought your patients comes first?_" my conscience asked me.

"_I don't regret what I said… but I can't help worrying…._"

I closed my eyes again, and let out a sigh, full of uncertainty, "_My patients do come first… but at what cost?_"

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_

* * *

**AUTHOR'S COMMENTS/NOTES**

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(NO FUN FACTS)**

[**POLL IS STILL UP!**] Well, I could have had this chapter out earlier, but classes started for me just yesterday (1/10/11) and I was more focused about what my classes would hold for me this year… this also means that updates will be slow again. Although, I think the next chapter will be fairly short, possibly shorter then this chapter… at least I think so….

Well, some of you are probably wondering what exactly caused the event to happen. To answer that, I want you to think about it… _really_ think about it. The answer is obvious to me, and it's not because I wrote it, but maybe because it was something I did prior research on- like _way_ before this story even came to me…. Anyway, if you think about what I wrote, you should be able to figure it out. Just think of what happened and the answer will come to you… hopefully….

I don't think there is anything further for me to say. I don't know when will the next chapter will come out, not even an approximate date. My classes this semester are going to be full of writing scientific reports and all of that nice science stuff! Along with memorizing all of that biological stuff again… and restudying my medical terminology stuff… I seemed to have forgotten a few of them….

Anyway, the next chapter will come out… whenever in the future!

Oh right! Before I forget, some of you are probably wondering what's going on with the BONUS material. I have made plenty since the last one (11 as of now). But due to certain circumstances that I rather not get into now, they will no longer be featured after certain chapters. So, the BONUS featured after chapter 18 will and is the last BONUS material. But, who knows? Maybe I'll feature a few anyway in the future!

_**THANK YOU ALL FOR REVIEWING (And to those that read anonymously)!**_


	26. Chapter 25, Taken By Storm

**Chapter 25, Taken By Storm**

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**FALL 22ND – THURSDAY**

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**Chelsea's POV**

I wiped my forehead as I left the ranch property. Even though it was a very cool day out, I felt a little hot under the collar, leaving my jacket open to let the breeze blow through me in order to cool my body down.

"_It's going to be Winter soon,_" I thought.

As I walked on the stony path, I realized I had nothing else to do. All my work was done for the day, so I might as well go home and sleep I guess.

"_What else is there to do?_"

I continued to walk on the path, heading towards home, and I happened to look to my side— at Elliot's house, making me stop in my tracks. Seeing the house just made me feel more awful about myself then usual… even though what happened a few days ago was still stuck on me. So far… I haven't cried about that, even though I feel like I should. I just… can't. I don't think I have anymore to shed….

I looked away from the house and sighed to myself. My feet were ready to move forward, to head home, but I stopped again when I heard a door creak open. I looked in the direction where I heard the creak, and it made me widen my eyes in surprise. The creaking sound came from Elliot's house, the door was opening!

I expected to see pinkish hair, on the dark side. Slightly disappointment greeted me when I saw a worn face, along with the wooden cane. It wasn't what I was expecting, but it was still nice to see someone come out of that house for once.

I lightly smiled at the old man, even though I didn't feel like smiling at all, "Hello Taro. It has been a long time."

He gave me one nod in answer. I saw him sigh, and I could tell that he looked worried. About what? I didn't know. Of course, maybe I'm reading his expression wrong, it could be sympathy he is showing towards me.

He walked up to me, his cane tapping against the rocks on the path. He stopped a few inches away from me and I saw him wiggle his mustache slightly.

"I won't be out here long, as my daughter still needs me…."

Even though he didn't say her name, as I know he was trying to not say it, I still felt her actions from so long ago on my cheek. I briefly felt my cheek sting, and I had to believe I imagined it… a slap from so long ago wouldn't still be on my face.

"I see," I said instead.

His eyebrows drooped lower than they should, but he didn't comment on my plain reply.

"Anyway, I'm here to tell ya that… a storm will be coming later today."

"A storm?"

He nodded his head once, "Yes, my mustache and eyebrows are telling me so."

I would think Taro was a little demented about his weather predictions because of his body telling him. But, I remember way back in Spring on how Mark told me to never doubt Taro's weather predictions… even if they sound weird.

"Okay, I will take note of it."

"Make sure you tell Mark and everyone else."

"Don't worry, I will," I reassured him.

He nodded his head once.

There was then a stiff silence, excluding the light breeze blowing through us. Maybe that's the warning that a storm was coming.

"Just to let you know… Elliot is getting better."

Hearing that actually lifted my heart a little in happiness, "Really? Both of his arms are coming along?"

"Well… one will be good as new by next season, hopefully. The other needs more time."

"I see… well, it's still a good start," I said in all sincere.

He then gave me a nod of goodbye before he turned away to return back inside of his home.

"_Maybe things will finally turn for the better_," I thought, trying to think optimistically.

I turned away from the house and backtracked to the ranch, since I had to tell Mark about the storm first.

It wasn't hard to find him, he was busy putting loads of eggplant into the shipping bin. Lucky I didn't have to go into the field to look for him, it looked crowded.

He noticed me first before I could say anything to him. In result, he gave me a very ghost of a smile, "Hey Chelsea. I thought you were done for the day."

"I am, it's just that I met Taro along the way."

His expression changed to surprise, "You did?"

"Yeah. He said that he feels a storm coming."

"Really? When?"

"Today."

"Today!" he exclaimed as he dropped a few eggplants to the ground in surprise.

He looked at them and bent down to the pick them as he looked up at me, "Why is he telling us so late? Why now and not yesterday?"

I shrugged my shoulders, "I don't know. Maybe he forgot. I mean, Taro isn't exactly young anymore..."

It could be mainly because of Felicia, but I didn't mention this to Mark.

He sighed as he picked up the last eggplant before he threw it into the bin.

"Well, I guess we should go tell everyone. Some people need to prepare… it could last until a little later tomorrow, especially since it's coming later in the day," he said as he stood up straight again.

"Right… and just to let you know, Taro also said that Elliot is getting better. One of his arms should be okay by next season."

Mark looked like he was about to let out a wide smile, but it turned into a happy sigh instead, "I'm glad to hear that. I haven't heard from him since… what about Natalie?"

I shook my head, "Taro didn't say anything about her. She's probably still recovering."

"I see…. What area will you take?"

"I'll take East and West Town along with the jungle."

"Okay, then that leaves me with the beach and the forest."

He then looked behind him and sighed at his field, "Well, I suppose I should be a little happy that it's towards the end of the season. I shipped off most of the crops… and I think I completed my quota for this season."

He let out a sigh before he looked back at me, and he scratched the top of his head, a look of confusion on his face now, "You know, it's strange that there's a storm in Fall. I mean, as long as I have been here, storms haven't happened in Fall… strange…."

"_Strange?_" I thought.

If Mark thinks it's strange, then it must not be normal. But, what can be done about a storm? Unless… somehow the… no, that's impossible. _Nobody_ can control or create a storm, I don't care how smart a person is. It's just… a very bad time for it, maybe even coincidental….

"Well, it's not like we can do anything about it, except warn the people about the storm. So, I'm heading out," I told him as I turned to exit the ranch.

Before I could walk too far, I heard Mark say from behind me, making me freeze in the process, "Winter is almost here…."

His words made all other thoughts going through my mind halt, including my steps.

It wasn't because of what he said, the obvious, it was the meaning behind those words. So long ago Spring was, yet Winter was right around the corner. With all that has been happening, I haven't really thought about… well, I haven't thought about much else. I have been focused with the events, my dreams, and…

I began to realize that my thoughts were beginning to somehow revolve around Vaughn too, at least, it feels like it.

"I know," I said to him instead, without facing him.

After my reply, I continued my walk out of the ranch while wondering what Winter will be like… the problems I have caused from Spring and just now.

* * *

**Vaughn's POV**

I just finished all of my work for the day, feeding the chickens was the last thing I needed to do.

I stayed in my kneeling position as I indirectly watched the chickens eat their feed. I still feel a little annoyed about what happened a few days ago. Even when I brought the papers to her later in the day, she still didn't _look_ upset at me or otherwise. If she is, then she is doing a pretty good job hiding it. And if that is the case, I don't think we'll be getting along too well now….

I'm not sure how I should feel about that….

My thoughts were interrupted when I heard the backdoor behind me creak open. I thought it was Julia at first, but when I didn't hear the familiar taping of her boots, I knew it wasn't her.

I was about to turn my head to see who it was, but they spoke first, making my breathing and heart stop their usual actions, and only my ears were active, taking in her words as if it'll be the last thing I'll ever hear.

"Vaughn, I don't mean to interrupt your work, but I wanted to let you know that a storm is coming later today. So, you should probably leave as soon as you can," Chelsea said from behind me, not a hint of wrath, irritation, or even disappointment was lined in her tone— just _concern_.

My body began working again. I didn't expect any of that from her. In fact, all she did was confuse me. Why isn't she angry? Why doesn't she despise me? Why does she _continue_ to show concern for me!

I hate being confused about anything.

"_Maybe, if I ask her she'll provide an answer for me_," I thought.

So I did.

"Why don't you… hate me?" I quietly asked her from my kneeling position, my back still to her.

There was no reply, but for some unknown reason, I could _see_ the expression on her face without even facing her. The expression my mind imagined was confusion, genuine. I didn't think how it was possible neither do I really want to. I'm already in some unknown part of my mind.

"What?" she asked, as if she didn't hear me, possibly confused (my mind was right it seems).

I made myself stand up from my kneeling position. She was _really_ stepping on my nerves! As if she has the right to be confused with my question!

"Why don't you hate me?" I repeated, though I think it came out lower than before.

"What? I didn't hear you," she said, her tone still the same.

Her answer should have registered in my mind that it was logical, that it was very possible that she didn't hear me. But my mind already feels out of place, and I was already annoyed with her— her attitude and behavior towards me is _not_ normal, and it's definitely not what I expected either.

I abruptly turned around, really angry with her for not answering my question. When I faced her with the obvious rage on my face and probably in my eyes, I expected her to have looked afraid or to be startled, even a little. But she momentarily surprised me when all I saw was her standing her ground in front of the door; a blank expression on her face, but there was a little concern in her eyes, telling me another story.

It irritated me more, making me yell, "Why don't you _hate_ me damn it?"

Even after I yelled at her, she still held the same blank look with concern in her eyes.

And then she said something to me, something my mind didn't think she would say. Her question made me stop and think. It made me begin to question myself. It made me wonder… if it was what I wanted.

She was still standing there, this time her eyes repeated the question, without holding any judgment behind them, "_Do you want me to hate you?_"

I couldn't answer her question. The surprise of the question and how she originally asked still put me in my shock state.

My mind repeated the question. Her voice asking the question over and _over_ again in mind; replaying in a constant loop.

And I still didn't have an answer.

The only option I had was to avoid answering the question completely, and to reply with some sarcastic comment.

I finally had a reply ready to say to her. My mind focused back to reality, with my mouth ready to voice the comment to her… but she was already gone.

I felt my teeth grit together, _beyond_ pissed that I didn't get to reply to her in time. Usually I'm _very_ quick with my replies, sarcastic and rude or not, I'm always quick when replying or stating something.

Yet, her question made my mind blank, unsure of how to answer it. Not even a rude reply was on my tongue. And the way she asked the question… it didn't hold any sort of emotion behind it. The emotions that should have been there, weren't, and her expression was devoid of all emotion as well.

I swear I felt a vein pop somewhere along my neck. She made me feel… _humiliated_. I think I felt my pride take a serious blow too.

To prevent myself from really killing someone or doing some other stupid act, I kicked the nearest thing… which happened to be one of the chickens. Since I was blinded by my rage and inner turmoil, I didn't even notice one of them had escaped from the enclosed coop.

The chicken reacted to my kick by squawking loudly and it flapped itself in the air a little, slightly off the ground. It continued to squawk and rapidly flap its feathery wings around, its feathers falling all over the place.

My eye winced at what I had done. I didn't mean to hit the chicken, and I wouldn't have if my mind wasn't so fogged up.

I sighed and bent down on my knees. "Sorry about that, I didn't mean to kick you," I apologized as I reached out a hand to the chicken.

The chicken was obviously still in a foul mood with me, because it bit the skin on my hand. Its bite felt like a tight pull to my skin, like a pinch. It made me pull my hand back, to prevent it from getting bitten again.

I looked at my hand, the reddish bruise beginning to take form around one of my fingers.

I sighed, "_Well, I should have expected that._"

I rubbed the bruise gently before I reached out to the chicken again, "Come on. No need to be–"

It tried to bite my hand again, but I withdrew it in time. This time, I was slightly annoyed with the chicken, and I gave it a light glare to show that.

"_You were the one asking to be hated. Well, you got it; now the chicken hates you_," my conscience stated to me.

"_Shut up._"

My glare towards the chicken lighten a little, although the threat I had didn't lighten any.

"You're lucky I don't eat meat, because if I did, you would already be in some deep fryer."

_That_ didn't make it any better, as I think the chicken understood my threat; whether it understood the words 'deep' and 'fryer' or not, it knew a threat when it heard it. The chicken squawked again, this time much louder and it flapped its wings at me. This time, the noise drew attention from the shop area, as the door opened.

"What's going on here!"

Julia appeared where I was at as I stood back up, taking a step away from the chicken.

"This chicken is… upset with me right now. So, you need to put her back yourself."

Julia gave me a surprised look, "Upset? With you? What did you do to it?"

"I… accidently kicked it," I admitted.

She gasped in shock as she bent down towards the chicken, "Vaughn! How could you kick a chicken by accident! I have never… you poor thing. Don't worry about the grump. He was _just leaving_."

It was an obvious sign for me to leave, as Julia is still angry with me, along with an angry chicken. I quickly left, not thinking it was wise to be around a angry cousin and a chicken. Lucky for me, all work was done for the day.

Once I was outside, I took a deep breath in of the Autumn air, before I slowly let it back out. It helped calm a few of my nerves.

"_Since a storm is coming, it's best to leave now_," my conscience told me.

Even though it was right, being reminded of the storm just reminded me of the person that told me about it in the first place. Though I was more reminded about her question, which in turn had me fuming.

"_Well, I'm leaving anyway,_" I thought as I tried to prevent the question from appearing while I headed towards the beach to leave, no need to stick around since everything has been done.

Of course when I reached the shoreline, the ferry wasn't there— yet, as I could see it in the distance.

"_It'll be here in a few more minutes…._"

I crossed my arms, more to warm them a little as it was colder than usual.

"_I can't believe Winter is almost here…._"

I thought of all of the other farmers and their animals. Sometimes I'm really busy during that season, as animals are more likely to get sick due to the cold. Once my thoughts about that were done for, it didn't take long for my thought to go elsewhere. Unfortunately, my mind refused to let go of the question _she_ asked me. And when I thought of the question, I could hear her voice asking it, as clear as day, as if she standing right next to me now, "_Do you want me to hate you?_"

This time I didn't hold any restraint with my foot, now that the area is a little safer. I kicked the sand, and the tiny grains spread around along with any materials that were mixed with it. I kept kicking in the same spot, and I could feel the ground level lowering.

"Whoa dude…. I don't think that's how you're supposed to make sand castles."

"Piss off Denny! I'm really not in the mood for any of your fucking philosophy shit!"

He appeared within my vision with his head slightly titled to the side, "Wow, you must be _really_ sore today."

"I thought I told you to piss off!"

He put up two hands in surrender.

"I'll leave in a minute. But really, I'm not here to annoy you, as you would put it, or anything like that. Besides, next week is a holiday," he said with a smile.

I momentarily stopped kicking the sand when his words finally sunk in.

"_Holiday?_"

A visual image of the calendar appeared within in my mind, and I could only think of one day that would be deemed as a holiday.

"The 'Pumpkin Festival' isn't really a holiday. That's something the kids will be doing, unless you're going to be going around trying to get free treats or something," I said to him, almost with an eyebrow raised.

Even though the comment I made made sense, I could somehow see Denny doing it.

"No dude!" he said with a shake of his head. "That's not the holiday I am talking about! Does the 26th ring any bells?" he asked.

I went through the virtual calendar again, but nothing on that particular day came up.

"No."

He sighed and slightly shook his head, "Man, that's _cold_…. I remembered yours, the least you could have done was remember mine."

"I have no idea what you are talking about. As I said, I'm not in the mood for your nonsense."

He sighed again, this one being lower than the last one.

"Well, thanks for trying. But, the correct answer is that it's–" He paused, letting some unknown suspense take its place, before he finally continued, "–my birthday!"

The smile he held grew a little bigger. I didn't see what he was excited about.

"Aren't you too old for birthday parties?"

"Always with the sarcasm Vaughn. But seriously, I'm planning to go to the city for my birthday. You know, to do some things."

"And what does that have to do with me?"

"Well, it has been awhile since I went to the city. So I thought it would be best if you come with me… or I go meet you there instead."

"I'm not some tour guide and you can take care of yourself. Besides, I'm sure Lanna would be more than willing to go with you."

"Dude, I like Lanna and all, but there are times when I need to have some _space_ away from her. Going to the city is the best I can come up with. She's trying to avoid going back… for now anyway."

"No."

"Aw! Come on dude, you can't leave me hanging!"

"…What?" I was confused with a part of his sentence.

He rolled his eyes once and said, "Look, birthday's come once a year. It's not like I'm asking for much."

"Will you leave me alone if I agree?"

"That was the point of this conversation."

I groaned at his answer. I had a feeling that I would regret it, but I didn't want to hear anything from him now.

"Fine," I said, giving in to his demands.

He smiled again, and Kuu chirped happily as well, "Alright then! So, I think it would be best if you came here instead. Since you know where I live and all… unless you want me to–"

"No, _please_, no. I'll just come by here… Monday?"

"You got it!"

I quietly sighed to myself, though I nodded my head in confirmation.

Denny then pointed behind me, "Your ship is here."

He was right when I turned to look in the direction he pointed.

"Your leaving early because of the storm right?"

"Yeah. I don't want to be caught in the middle of that, especially out at sea."

"Yeah, drowning is no joke…. Well, I'll be seeing you around!"

I moved forward towards the ship, not giving him a goodbye wave. I still felt irritated about the whole thing… though more so about what Chelsea said to me. That single sentence was still bouncing around in my head.

I have a feeling that today is only going to get worse.

* * *

**Denny's POV**

I looked towards the clock hanging on the wall inside of the diner. It was already getting close to 6 and Lanna _still_ hasn't shown up. I lightly tapped my fingers against the table. Kuu crept closer to my neck and snuggled itself there, a habit he has when he feels _my_ emotions.

I heard a door open, and I looked towards it of course. I expected the sound to have come from the front door, but it came from where Luke was at, behind the counter that led to the back of the shop (I guess that's where he keeps all of his supplies).

Luke looked at me in surprise.

"You're still here!"

I nodded my head in the positive.

"Well you shouldn't be. The storm is really brewing out there! I hear the rain is going to turn into hail, and you don't want to be caught in the middle of that!"

He was right. That would probably also explain why Lanna didn't show up.

"Eh, it's just a storm. Nothing but hard rain, but you're right, I should go. You're closing up early?"

"Exactly what I'm planning to do now…. You'll be alright out there?"

I nodded my head as I stood up from my seat at the round table, "I'll be fine!"

I walked towards the door, now eager to get home and just relax to wait the storm out. Once I reached the door, I turned away from it momentarily, "See ya around Luke! Dinner was great as usual!"

He gave me a quick nod before he went back to wiping the counter clean.

I opened the door, and a strong wind greeted me.

"_He wasn't kidding! The storm is a little worse than I thought it would be…._"

I pushed against the strong winds and closed the door behind me, which took more effort than it should have.

The wind kept pushing, forcing me to lift an arm across my face and to squint my eyes a little. I could feel Kuu bringing his body closer to my neck, trying to avoid the wind as well. To make matters worse, I could feel something hard constantly hitting my arms and the rest of me. They felt like pebbles.

"_Must be the hail…. I know I'm going to be sore in the morning…._"

I opened my mouth and yelled, to be heard over the wind, "Don't worry Kuu! We'll be there soon!"

Even though it was impossible to see through the storm, I knew the way back home. And I felt like we were real close. My feelings were confirmed when the ground felt softer, yet very wet and loose, like quicksand.

"_We're at the beach! Almost there!_"

With that thought in mind, I moved a little more quickly. While trying to ignore the stings all over my body from the hail and the cold I felt due to the wind. I lifted my other arm across my face, but leaving enough room to see between my arms. When I saw dark brown not that far from me, I felt like I would laugh in joy.

"_My door!_"

A few more steps and I was standing in front of it. I didn't waste time as I forced both of my hands towards the doorknob, already imagining the warmth inside of my home. I almost broke the knob off with that idea in mind.

I tried turning the knob, but it didn't turn.

"_That's weird. I don't remember locking the door…._"

In fact, now that I thought about it, I never lock my door (who would want to rob my shack?). Then I tried to push the door… and it didn't budge.

"_Maybe it's stuck?_"

I began to bang my shoulder into the door, to force it open. The door still didn't budge. It had to be really stuck.

The force of the wind was picking up, I felt like I would be carried away… and it seems possible if it kept blowing at this rate.

"_This isn't working!_"

I quickly came up with an alternate solution on getting inside; through the window. Without wasting time, I went up to it and gripped the bottom of it, my nails digging in the wood hard enough that I could get splinters under them. I pulled up on the window, but it wouldn't budge.

"_What's going on! Why is it stuck? It doesn't have a lock on it!_"

I kept trying to push it up, and the more I realized it wasn't going to move, the more panic I became.

"_We're in __serious__ trouble…._"

I consider myself to be a lucky person, but not lucky during storms… and this storm wasn't some small one.

"_Okay, where can I go to hide it out?_"

I couldn't go knock on someone's door, they'll most likely think it's some branch or the wind hitting it.

Thinking of the word 'branch' made me think of trees… and with a wind blowing this strong….

I needed to find somewhere to hide– _now_.

I thought of every area on the island, especially anything that was close. And that's when it came to me.

"_The well!_"

Not really the best of hiding spots, but since it's deep enough underground, it'll be enough to protect me from the wind and any large flying objects.

I reached up one hand towards my neck. My hand lightly gripped Kuu, trying to comfort him.

"Everything will be okay Kuu buddy! Just hang on a little longer!" I yelled over the storm.

I heard a very loud cracking sound, coming from the sky, making me look up. My eyes blinked a few times, trying to see through the hail. I saw the sky, and it looked angry, with lighting flashing and the clouds getting darker as the seconds passed by. I was beginning to hear a crashing sound too, and I turned my head towards the sea. The waves were rolling and crashing into anything it could– including Will's yacht.

"_I hope he'll be alright…._"

If Will had his stairs down, I would have climbed up them and joined his ship for safety. I highly doubt he'll hear me yelling through this storm.

I reached a hand around my waist and untied the purple jacket I always have there. I used it as a shield, as protection from the hail. It wasn't that thick, but it helped enough.

I finally began to make the trek to the well in West Town while I held the jacket above me. The jacket provided protection from the hail, but not from the wind and… is it raining too? This storm will kill me if I don't hurry along.

The feeling of the ground shifted back to being hard, telling me I was on the stony path. I squinted my eyes through the hail and rain, trying to locate the well.

"_There!_"

I smiled despite the chattering of my teeth. Sanctuary was almost here! I can't give up now!

And that's when everything went wrong….

I heard Kuu let out an alarming squawk by my ear. I didn't understand what he was trying to say… until he was forcefully blown off my shoulder. In reaction, I let go of one end of my jacket to try to catch him— but I missed.

"KUU!"

I could see my poor buddy swirling through the air, towards the sky, and he was doing his best to flap his little wings- trying to push against the wind. His efforts were futile, as it seemed like the wind was blowing him harder, further away.

Out of habit, I reached behind my back to grip my fishing rod to see if I could catch him that way… it wasn't there. It took me a moment to remember what happened to it.

"_Crap! That's right, I didn't go fishing because of the storm…!_"

I grinded my teeth together and I turned my head towards the well, trying to decide on what to do.

"_What do I do!_"

I didn't know what to do. And the panic I tried to keep down was winning, taking over my mind.

"_I can't think!_"

The howling of the wind wasn't helping… and what is that ripping sound?

I turned my head, where I thought I heard the sound come from.

"_DUCK!_" my conscience yelled.

I did, and the flying tree flew over my head. The force of it flying past me made my bandana loosen and my hair blow forward. My heart was pumping in overdrive mode.

"_That was a close one…._"

From my kneeling position, since it seems safer that way, I looked up towards the sky. I couldn't see Kuu anywhere, his little black form was nowhere to be seen.

"KUU! KUU WHERE ARE YOU!" I yelled through the wind.

Even if he did hear me, I couldn't hear him. This time I stood up and surrounded my hands around my mouth, to project my voice further out.

"KUU! WHERE ARE YOU!" I yelled again.

Once again, there was no response. Although the wind responded, by blowing harder. It was blowing so hard now, that I felt myself lift off the ground a little.

Under any other circumstances, I wouldn't have minded the ability to be able to float off the ground a little. But since an tree flew over my head not to long ago and I am currently caught in an storm– it wasn't fun, it was frightening.

I was hoping that I would be put back on the ground, that the moment will pass. Instead, I was lifted higher into the air, my body making unnatural twists and turns in the air. At the same time, I began to realize that it was becoming hard for me to breath. Every time I took a breath out, the wind would take the air I wanted to breathe in away.

"_I… can't… __breathe__…!_"

I could hear my brain screaming at me to breathe. All other thoughts I had previously were discarded, labeled as not important. My brain continued to repeat the same word over and over.

_Breathe._

"_I'm trying._"

_**Breathe**_**.**

"_I'm trying._"

_**BREATHE!**_

"_I'M TRYING!_"

I began to see these small black dots align my vision. They kept blinking in and out of my vision, slow at first. But they began to blink faster, and they were beginning to obscure my vision completely.

"_I can't see and… breathing is hard…._"

I began to feel cold too, really cold. My skin felt numb, although I could hear the hail hitting my body. I also began to feel fatigued.

"_Can't… stay… awake…._"

I felt my eyelids become really heavy, although the black dots might make me blind first before I could even close them.

I don't know what happened next. I don't know if I closed my eyes first or if the black dots took over my vision.

I just knew that I felt tired, that I was surrounded by darkness, that I couldn't feel anything… and I felt like that I wouldn't wake up ever again.

* * *

**Witch Princess's POV**

I was looking out of my window, frowning at the raging storm that was taking place outside of my home.

"_This storm isn't natural._"

I knew the storm outside wasn't normal, or caused due to nature itself. The storm was forcibly created. I could _feel_ it. I knew the difference between a natural and a created storm.

"_Someone… has my book!_"

Usually when any sort of magic is used, if you're a magic user yourself, you could feel magic anywhere– including magic remnants after spells were cast.

Unfortunately, this _person_, was smart— _very_ smart. They were concealing their magic under some sort of barrier, making it impossible for me to see where the storm was casted at or to even locate the magic doer responsible for the storm.

I tighten my hand on my cloak and I furrowed my eyebrows as low as they could go.

"Damn it!"

I don't know _anything_, or hardly anything. The only way to use those spells in that book, the person would have to have some magical energy themselves. As far as I know, I'm the only witch on this small island. The other magical being would be the Harvest Goddess, but she's too much of a 'goody shoes' to do anything this disastrous! Not only that, she can do her own magic _without_ my book. The others on the island are normal, as far as I know….

"Damn it!" I shouted again, louder, frustrated that I didn't know the whereabouts of my book or anything else for that matter.

So far, I only know one thing for certain. In order to cast magic as big as this, and on the island, the person would have to close by….

"_The person that has my book... is on this island._"

If only I knew who the hell it was.

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_

* * *

**AUTHOR'S COMMENTS/NOTES**

**

* * *

(NO FUN FACTS)**

[**POLL IS STILL UP!**] If you're wondering why this chapter feels shorter than the previous one or others– it's because it is short; being only 20 pages long, not counting these comments here. I believe this is the shortest chapter of them all… thus far. I haven't figured out the order of the next two chapters yet (which one should come first I mean). One of the next two will be short as well, or at least I think so….

Anyway, for those of you wondering about storms not happening in Fall… it's true. In the game, the only time a storm can happen, a hurricane really, is during the Summer season. All the other seasons will have rain, cloudy, sunny, clear, and blizzard; winter for the last one. So, Mark wasn't lying about that.

Now about this chapter, some of you are probably going, "Oh no! Not Denny! Who will be the comical guy to keep things light if something happens to him!" Well, yes, he has been the one to keep things slightly on the humor side, to prevent this story from being completely dead serious. In other words, he was playing the 'comic relief' role for this story, and then some. With him out of the picture, or what have you, it will be slightly less humorous– or majorly, depending on how I let the other stuff turn out. Well, come on, you knew someone was going to be next- as there are only a few candidates left to 'torture'. In this case, it was Denny's turn. But, don't worry too much about him, he's not dead or anything at least (nobody dies in this story- remember?). His conditions will become known to you soon… including some background information about him. Eh, you'll see in Chapter 26 or 27- depending on what order I put which idea first….

And back to talking about the next two chapters… let's see…. As I mentioned already, I'm not sure of the order of the next two chapters yet, but I want you to be prepared for one thing… _**a filler**_. Don't worry, it's not bad or anything, in fact- you might like it.

When you read the filler, it will feel like it's the start of another story— and I'm not going to lie that it's not… because I'm planning to use that filler chapter as a start of another story in the future— or something. Of course, I will leave some stuff out to make it different from that other story I have planned out. Now some of you are probably asking yourself, "If this filler is going to read like the beginning of another story, what's the point of it and what does it have to do with _this_ story?" Well, that question won't be answered until Chapter 28. Once again, don't worry, I have everything planned out already. I just need to write them to make them fall into place. When the filler does appear, I will give fair warning in the beginning before you read it… also, the filler might be in third person view; I _quite_ haven't figured out what view it should be in, what it would look best as….

Let's see, anything I forgot? Give me a few seconds here…. Oh yes! A question that I think everyone should see!

**Question:** _…What happened to Cherry Chelsea and the cheesecake she was supposed to make?_

_From Peppermint Kitty_

**My Answer:** Ah, so someone _has_ noticed! Or the first to mention it aloud- as far as I remember. I haven't forgotten this, it's better to put it as... I took the scene out? A future scene I mean. Yes, sometimes I don't write certain scenes. I either take it out of the story completely, or try to use it later in the story. For this case, I haven't mentioned the process of Chelsea making the product once, she shows the company how to make it- and now a company makes it for her going by her exact recipe. And that it's currently being reproduced in mass numbers in the city, and the money she is making from that is going to me… okay, so that last bit is a lie (xD), the money is being sent to some secret account (I don't know the number account information- darn!). Reason being this stuff wasn't mentioned, was because I didn't find it that important to mention. Will this information come up again? Yes, sometime during one of the… Winter chapters I believe; in one of the chapters that take place in winter. Possibly in Chapter 33, _if_ I am working this out correctly that is... I might not mention it in the story ever again for all I know. I just plan to mention it in that chapter, and all I can do is plan.

Hopefully that answered your question!

Eh, what else to mention? Right! Concerning the previous chapter, on what exactly happened. Well, I'm not going to tell you (xD). Although, I will say that _one_ of the reviewers— **got it right**. And no, I won't tell you which one– that would be too easy. But, at least I am hinting that one of them got the answer right on what happened/what caused the chaos in the previous chapter.

And I just remembered something! I could have released this chapter earlier, like, _way_ earlier, especially during the 3 days I was off due to the horrible snowstorm raging outside… but I was taking a personal break from everything, and I was sleeping- I _need_ my sleep. Although, I wish I did release this earlier to everyone, because I was trying to reach a certain chapter by Valentine's Day… Chapter 32, if I remember right. But, looking on how much I have to write, that's not going to happen. So, instead, hopefully I'll have Chapter 28 released by then- but I doubt that too. I have a lot going on, with exams coming up already…. All I can say is, we'll see.

Until next time everyone!

_**THANK YOU ALL FOR REVIEWING (And to those that read anonymously)!**_

*It seems I am behind on replying to reviews. I will get to them as soon as I can; I haven't forgotten— I'm just procrastinating… a little.

Page **23** of **23**


	27. Chapter 26, Innocent Sorrow

**Chapter 26, Innocent Sorrow**

❖¤ ✧❖¤ ✧❖¤ ✧❖¤ ✧❖¤ ✧❖¤ ✧❖_xXxXx_¤ ✧❖¤ ✧❖¤ ✧❖¤ ✧❖¤ ✧❖¤ ✧❖¤ ✧

**FALL 23RD – FRIDAY**

❖¤ ✧❖¤ ✧❖¤ ✧❖¤ ✧❖¤ ✧❖¤ ✧❖_xXxXx_¤ ✧❖¤ ✧❖¤ ✧❖¤ ✧❖¤ ✧❖¤ ✧❖¤ ✧

**Shea's POV**

"Shea be back. Check on jungle. You check house?"

Storm gone now, but might be back later. Sometime storm like that.

Wada nod head, "…..Yes….."

"Okay. Shea be back."

I turn and open door, to leave home. When outside, the jungle… a mess. Some trees broke from ground. Some trees fall on ground.

"_Jungle a mess. Maybe I see if animals okay?_"

I walk along path, very sticky and wet ground, hard to walk on path. I see some animals trying to find new home to go.

"_Normal animals okay._"

I walk on, wanting to check… friends.

"_Good idea?_" voice in head ask me.

"_Maybe animal not mad anymore?_"

I stop walk when I see strange thing on path.

"_What that? Bear?_"

I could not see, could be bear or no. It was color like bear… could bear be hurt?

I careful, I take out knife to be sure bear was not fake hurt. I take slow steps toward bear. When I was close enough….

"_Not bear…._"

It was another friend, lying on the ground, face on it- and he had same color cloth on head like food friend_**(1)**_.

"_Is friend… okay?_"

I put knife away and bend down to look friend over.

"_Friend name was… Denny?_"

Name sound right.

I put hand on back, to turn him over, face up to sky. When I did, Denny face and body was cover in brown sticky stuff. I then put hand on top of head, to see if warm.

"_Denny cold… __really__ cold._"

I finally put hand, gently, over mouth. I feel warm hit my hand.

"_Denny alive… good._"

"_But someone need to help Denny,_" voice in head said.

I nod, but I no sure who can… maybe that strange man with long coat?

"_He help food friend when sick._"

I will find man… and Denny will be okay.

* * *

**Chelsea's POV**

It's getting harder… harder to convince myself to stay on this island.

I just found out what damages the storm caused. So far, everyone's houses came out alright, nothing wrong there. The animals were still shaken up, but okay overall. Mark's crops weren't so lucky, but he's pulling through, since he just reached his quota for the season, he'll be fine.

Unfortunately, the same can't be said about Denny….

I pulled my knees up to my chin and buried my chin on top of them.

"_Denny…._"

Dr. Trent said that he wasn't sure of the damages and won't be until the X-Ray results come in. Truthfully, he didn't look too good. He was really cold when Shea brought Denny to him.

"_Please… let him be okay._"

Denny was one of the few that didn't believe in the omen, from the beginning, and as far as everyone knows. He was also one of the few that was always optimistic and he tried to see the bright side of everything, even if there wasn't one to be seen.

I unfurled my legs and hopped off my bed.

"_Maybe a walk outside would... ease my mind and do me some good._"

I decided to leave my rucksack behind, but I locked my door after I left. My feet found the path on its own, no thoughts required.

Taking a walk turned out to be a bad idea….

There happened to be others villagers around, also going about their business. But no matter what they were doing, each one would look at me- sharing their feelings through their expressions, more so with their eyes. I felt anger, hate, distress and resentment; all of these feelings toward me. I could even imagine their thoughts without hearing them aloud. All of them being negative and what I have caused since coming to the island.

Each pair of eyes I felt, made my walking steps slower and I lowered my head each time, trying my best to avoid eye contact with anyone.

I just let my legs take me wherever they wanted to go, not having any specific location to go to.

They ended up leading me to the beach, in front of Denny's home, making the guilt I already felt even worse. I laid a hand against the frame of the door. The door broken due to Gannon's strength. My eyes scanned the room, making my suspicions of the matter resurface to the front of my mind. I closed my eyes, replaying the event from earlier in the day.

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~FLASHBACK~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

_I wiggled the handle of Denny's door to his shack, and the door wouldn't budge. I then tried to push the door, gently at first before I became more forceful. No matter what I did though, the door wouldn't budge._

_ "His door is stuck?" I muttered to myself in confusion._

_With that discovery, I decided to get Gannon to break the door down. My strength wasn't enough to break it down. Gannon agreed to it without a second thought. It didn't take us long to reach the front of his house again._

_"His door is stuck. Can you break it down for me? And uh, I'll pay for it to be repaired," I explained to him._

_He just nodded his head with a grunt. Without him even trying, he banged on the door, making it break from its hinges and fall to the floor inside. Gannon and I stepped in. Gannon, like myself, was curious about the door. The reason for why it was stuck in the first place._

_Gannon was the one that noticed the logs by Denny's pot._

_ "Hmmm… seems to me tha' the logs roll and block the door," he stated._

_I agreed with him, but I didn't completely believe in it._

_ "Well, when tha' fisher get bette', I will build him somethin' to hold them."_

_I thanked Gannon for his help. It didn't take him long to leave, and I didn't start my own observations until I was sure he was gone._

_ "If it were just logs blocking the door, Denny should have been able to move them," I thought._

_I'm sure Denny tried everything he could to break into his own home. It had to be something else that made his door stuck, not just logs._

_Then I saw it… wooden debris. At a quick glance, the debris would be mistaken to have come from the door Gannon just broke down. But looking at it closely, you could tell that it was extra debris, and it didn't come from the door. For one particular piece, the shape was square like…._

_I picked up the piece and looked towards the doorway. It took me a few moments to see the nails, slightly brown to blend in with the rest of the shack. They weren't rusted; they were colored the same shade as the shack._

_I kept looking between the piece of wood I held in my hand to the doorway, trying to link the two into one idea._

_And like the storm clouds, the two pieces slowly rolled into one._

_ "Someone… nailed boards across his door," I whispered to the air._

_I threw the piece of wood to the floor. It didn't take much thought to figure out how they left with the door blocked. I didn't even bother to check the windows, they were probably blocked too. Most likely in the same way as the door, hard to tell if it's part of the shack itself or it was put there recently._

_I started running home as soon as I left his shack, just wanting to go home to be alone, to think. While running on the path in West Town, I briefly looked toward Gannon's shop. And I noticed something felt out of place… I figured it out once I almost reached my home._

_There are usually boards by his home, just extra pieces for him to use I guess… and they were missing. But, all I have were suspicions, as they could have been blown away due to the storm; not being used to block Denny's door. If it is the latter… then this horrible person was being smart…._

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~END OF FLASHBACK~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

I opened my eyes again and quietly let out a sigh.

"_This evil… person is making life horrible for me, for all of us._"

I still haven't figured out exactly why this person was doing it in the first place. At least, I believe there should be a reason… right?

"_Are there really reasons for doing evil acts?_" my conscience asked me.

Even if there were reasons for these events the criminal has caused, would I be happy with them?

No, knowing the reasons behind it wouldn't be enough….

I took my hand off the doorframe and turned away from the shack. I took a few steps towards the end of the shore, where the sand met the ocean.

My eyes then scanned the ocean line, from Will's yacht to the beyond. The sun was already gone, replaced with the night sky and a few dark clouds littered the sky as well.

I kept blankly staring at the ocean, trying to come up with a decision.

I stood there for a while, maybe for too long. It had to have been a long time, because I soon felt the cold seeping through my jacket, making my arms begin to shiver.

Although I came to a decision during that timeframe.

I turned my head to look towards the exit of the beach, where I knew everyone were at… inside of their homes, most likely asleep.

I felt my eyes tingle before the few tears fell from my eyes.

"_I'm sorry everyone… but I just can't take this anymore. I don't want any more of you to get hurt because of me. I just…_"

Without even finishing that thought, before I could possibly change my mind, I ran back to Denny's shack, but stopping beside it this time.

It didn't take me long to find it, his old rowboat.

With all of my strength, I pulled it towards the shore, but I didn't put it in the water yet. Once it was settled, I ran back to Denny's shack, this time going inside and towards the back of it. I grabbed a pair of oars from the wooden case that held them and ran back out to the boat. I then pushed it into the ocean and hopped in, getting the oars into position.

"_I'm sorry Denny for stealing this… but I promise I'll send you the money in the mail._"

I know that I am thinking a little irrational, but I don't want anyone to know that I am leaving, nor know where I am going.

"_Do you even know where you are going? Or what you will do once you reach your destination?_"

I ignored the obvious and important questions. Truthfully, I don't know what I will do or where I should go.

I know I can't return home, as that would be the first place they would look- especially Mark.

"_I would have to start anew, from the beginning…_."

"_You and I both know this isn't the answer._"

"_Do you have any better ideas?_"

My conscience didn't reply back, or made any other comments after that.

I kept rowing the boat along the water, and I could see myself moving farther and farther away from the island. The farther I moved away from it, the more past memories on the island surfaced to my mind- the good and the bad.

Mostly the bad.

I closed my eyes to make the island disappear momentarily, while I kept rowing the boat, moving even farther.

I could feel the water splashing on the sides of the small boat, which made me slightly nervous. Hoping it wouldn't tip over. Being in a small boat is much different than being in a large boat like the ferry or even Will's yacht.

A loud booming sound made me open my eyes to look up toward the sky… and there were dark clouds rolling along.

The storm wasn't over.

I quickly looked away and began to row faster. To try to reach dry land or even a cave, just anywhere else besides the island.

But the clouds had other plans in mind for me.

The wind began to blow, low at first, like a whistle. It didn't take long for the wind to start howling. And despite my efforts against its strength, it was no use… as it was blowing me back _towards_ the island.

Someone, either from the ground or above, didn't want me to leave.

Even with that in mind, I still tried to fight the invisible force. The more I fought though, the stronger the wind became… and I could feel the water crashing into the small rowboat, and it _was_ tipping it over ever so slightly.

I stopped rowing and focused on keeping the boat afloat. As I should have expected, my efforts were futile again.

Not only was the wind tossing the boat around, but it was making the waves dangerous as well. Crashing into the sides of the boat more often than it should, and making me feel a little seasick, along with making my heart go into overdrive.

The next thing I knew, I felt something very cold and wet hit against me, my whole body. Before my mind could comprehend with what happened, a wave came over my head, making me sank into the dark depths of the ocean.

I thought the strength of the wind was bad, but the water was worse.

The pushing and shoving of the water, along with the pressure, made it hard for me to move or to even try to swim up to the surface. I tried to swim up anyway, or at least it felt like I was going up.

I felt the water break away from my face. I took a deep breath in, as it could be my last breath. At the same time, I blinked my eyes while I kept my hands in motion to stay afloat.

Since it was dark outside, nearly pitch black, I couldn't see where I was. Even if I could, I didn't know where I was or which direction to go for safety. Knowing this didn't lessen the panic I felt, all it did was tighten the pressure around my heart, making it hard to breathe.

Just as I thought it couldn't get any worse, the water began to move violently again, pushing me around; so much so that I could barely keep myself above water. Wave after wave kept hitting above and around me, tossing me like I was a pebble… and there was nothing I could do about it….

* * *

I opened my eyes as I gasped air inward. My eyes moved frantically around, like pinballs. The first thing I noticed was that there were no black clouds. The _second_ thing I noticed was that I wasn't being tossed around, meaning that I wasn't in the cold water. This also means….

I braced my arms on the ground… until I realized it wasn't a soil type ground, it was sand.

I carefully lifted my head, and strands of my wet hair covered my face, obscuring my vision. I began to shiver as well, as I was soaked through, telling me that I wasn't unconscious for a long time.

"_Well, at least I'm on dry land…._"

I moved the strands of hair out of my view, and the one positive thought I had was thrown out the window.

What my eyes saw was a shack… a very familiar shack.

"_No...!_"

I didn't have time to convince myself that the shack I was seeing wasn't, couldn't, be Denny's. That my eyes were deceiving me, that I was hallucinating it.

But they did not lie, nor was my mind playing tricks with me. The shack was real, and was indeed Denny's.

"_I tried to run away from this island… and I am tossed back onto it._"

My hands squeezed the wet and squishy sand under me. Water from my hair dripped down my face, taking the place of formless tears. I looked up towards the sky, feeling angry and on the verge of insanity.

I couldn't help myself, as I yelled into the clear night sky, "Why! Why can't I leave! Why is this happening to me!"

The stars just twinkled back in reply… like it was any other night.

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_

* * *

**AUTHOR'S COMMENTS/NOTES**

* * *

**(0)** _food friend_: Shea is referring to Pierre, just in case you forgot. I don't think Shea would remember Pierre by name. I believe he would remember him more by his occupation, which does have something to do with food.

[**POLL IS STILL UP!**] Well… it's been awhile right? So, first thing first… what happened to updating this on Valentine's Day? Read the rant thing if you _must_ know.

Woah… FanFiction has changed a little since I was last here…. Back to the story! You have probably noticed that this chapter felt really short compared to the last one or any other one. Once again, because it is. This chapter is only 10 pages, and that is not counting my notes here. As I have predicted in the previous chapter, the next chapter, or the one after it, was going to be short. Although, I feel like something is missing here... and if that's true, I don't know what it could be. It's not Denny, haven't forgotten about him… I feel like it's something else…. Huh, this isn't good… I'm actually beginning to forget what happens where…. Hmmm *refers to HM: IoD notes* Oh yeah! I did forget something! But uh, it seems I decided to throw away that part. Since that small part isn't important anyway. No wonder, my brain is remembering the wrong stuff! Ha-ha, I need to refresh it sometime xD

As for the next chapter, as I mentioned in the previous chapter, a _**filler**_ will be taking place. What will the filler be about? Well…I suppose I can tell you now, especially if you have tolerated me for this long (xD). The filler will be about Denny's past, to put it bluntly. If you're asking why now, why that chapter… you'll find out in Chapter 28. I must have a _few_ secrets, besides the mystery part that is….

Well, it's 2 AM where I am right now. I am exhausted and I have things to do later in the day. So, until next time everyone!

_**THANK YOU ALL FOR REVIEWING (And to those that read anonymously)!**_

*I need to seriously catch up with the replies to reviews (after I read them). Once I settle in and organize a few things, I should be able to answer some…and do some of this story I hope.

_**RANTING TIME**_

I forgot how this area worked…. Once again, what happened to updating this on Valentine's Day? Simple… bad luck struck me is what happened. Seriously, I had most of this chapter complete and was planning to finish it on the day of and post it, but luck wasn't with me…. What happened? Well, my laptop broke is what happened. I slipped on invisible ice and crashed to the ground- as in walking. I came out injury free with a small ache in the arm, but my laptop- not so lucky. I didn't know the damage of it until I reached my class. The look on my face, wasn't happy. I fell into shock first, before I screamed internally, and silently cried (internally and mentally) over the death of my laptop :[ What can I say? I love my technology, plus I had it for 4 years, it really helped me get my work done at home and anywhere else. So… with my laptop out of commission, I had to cut back on _everything_. From my course work to any 'free time' I had to myself. No more late night to early morn work… or anything else for that matter. No video games either, er, I mean, writing either. My laptop breaking on me wasn't the only thing that occurred that day- a few other bad luck stuff happened too…. Although, I should have known better. Bad luck always, and I mean _always_, strikes down on me on Valentine's Day. Boy, the stories I can tell from my past bad luck Valentine's Days! But, um, those are separate stories and I don't want to share. _ Strange that on Friday the 13th days I'm fine, but not Valentine's Day… someone either has a horrible sense of humor or just plain doesn't like me. x_x

So… how did I retrieve this along with anything else that was important in it? I said my laptop broke, true, but that didn't mean the hard drive was destroyed. Lucky me right? But uh, I had to retrieve the information quick because my laptop was dying internally anyway. In other words, it could die on me anytime, without warning, and without turning on ever again- meaning the hard drive. Dying does mean that right? So, with a portable hard drive I bought at Best Buy for a very good price, I managed to retrieve most of my stuff. There is still other files I need to retrieve from it, but that is going to have to wait for a bit. If you're wondering how I am typing now- I just bought a brand new laptop not too long ago. Um, about a week ago I bought it. And I absolutely love it... although I still miss my old one at times. I keep forgetting where stuff is since everything is new- and everything I had on the old one isn't on this new one yet…. I have much to catch up on, and I don't just mean my writing….

Right now, I am visiting family and trying to get into any of these competitive internships I applied for. Applying to them is easy- getting into them is the hard part…. Why did my career choice had to be so darn competitive? No luck thus far, meaning I have to apply for them again and look for others. Pfft, luck is not on my side right now…. Oh, and to make matters more difficult for me… I don't have the passwords to some accounts online, and I need to somehow retrieve those back. I managed to get into my FF account, simply because I had the account for a very long time, along with the email luckily…. Well, I have some explaining to do with some other internet pals of mine- they probably think I'm dead…. Along with contacting my beta-readers. If either of you are reading this, feel free to email me and I will get back to you- it'll make my load here a little easier. *Sigh* So _much_ to catch up on… at least I have a new laptop to enjoy in the process….

Page **12** of **12**


	28. Chapter 27, The Fisherman's Tale

**NOTICE****:** This is a filler. In fact, this chapter will be used in the future for another story, and therefore isn't 100 percent connected to the current storyline/story. It will become clear why this is here in chapter 28- a non-filler. As another note, this is in third person.

* * *

**Chapter 27, The Fisherman's Tale**

"_Sometimes you revisit the past. Other times, the past revisits you. Those moments can blur the boundaries between memories and reality. And yet, sometimes the past is a mirror, in which we can see the reflection of what danger the future holds."_

_-_ _Master Splinter -_

[_Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2003; Season 2, __Episode 9, 'Reflections'_]

* * *

The cool water gushed out of the fountain in the middle of the market square, spreading small drops back into it, where small coins rested- holding the dreams and goals that were dropped along with them.

The market square at that moment was empty of pedestrians, of sellers, buyers and browsers. It was void of any of the usual hustle and bustle; sellers shouting their catch of the day, children at play, villagers laughing, the talk of deals, and so much more.

Villagers were quietly nestled inside of their homes. Most of them were just getting ready for the day, to do their job. After all, the early bird gets the worm, or in the case of this village; the early bird gets the fish.

As the sky began to get lighter, the lights from inside of various homes began to turn on, being much brighter than the light in the sky.

Apprentice fishermen would be up as well… excluding one.

"Denny…." a voice quietly said, trying to not wakeup the few non-fisher's, their neighbors.

The young boy, just barely passing as a teenager, continued to snore away.

"Denny…." the voice repeated.

The teenager slightly turned to his side and continued to sleep.

The owner of the voice gave up on trying to wake him up gently and yelled, "_Denny_!"

His head shot up, still somewhat in a light sleepy daze, as he muttered, "Huh? What's going on?"

"Denny, you're supposed to get up on your own. I shouldn't have to wake you…."

Denny rubbed his eyes and blinked them, chasing the sleep away. When his vision cleared, he looked up. Through the poorly candle lit room, his father was standing there, slightly shaking his head, his tight dreads moving as well. Although, he wasn't angry, as he was smiling, despite how early it was.

Denny quickly looked over his father, and he noticed that he was wearing the usual fishing outfit— a regular tank top and loose pants with the classic black rubber boots.

Denny eyebrows furrowed together in bafflement, "Hey… you're going fishing today? I thought I was."

His father's smile turned into a small grin as he stated, "Usually you would, but today… I'm close."

Denny turned in his hammock to face his father.

"You mean…finding _the_ perfect spot?" Denny said as his eyes widen a bit.

His father nodded in confirmation.

"Aye! And I have a gut feeling that I'll find it today! Once I do…."

His father reached into his back pocket and took out a folded piece of paper. He opened it, revealing that the piece of paper turned out to be a map of certain fishing spots. Spots his father staked out and studied, figuring out the usual amount of fish that produced in the areas.

He turned the map around for his son to see as he explained, "It has to be around here somewhere, the area I circled there."

Denny moved his head closer to the map, to try to see better as the room was still lit poorly.

"That circle still looks big Pa. Are you sure that it'll be around there?"

He refolded the map and put it back into back pocket. He then lightly pounded his chest, "Course I'm sure! With the help of this map and…"

His father stopped midsentence as he looked around the hut for his little helper. A bright smile appeared on his weatherworn face when he located his companion sitting near the windowsill. Unlike Denny, his tiny companion was already up, staring at him with his unblinking eyes.

"Ah, there you are little guy. Why don't you come here and—"

"Danny_**(1)**_? Are you up already?" a female voice asked from the other side of the room, where the small kitchen area was.

Danny, Denny's father, turned his head and smiled at his wife. Denny looked behind his father and gave his mother a weak wave.

"Morning Ma," Denny greeted, giving her a weak smile as well.

"Awake already, Iva?"

Iva lit another candle in the kitchen area, making the hut a little brighter, and then she put it into a candleholder before she turned to face them.

Denny blinked his eyes, as he realized that his mother was dressed as well. Wearing her dark blue sari, covering her head as well, along with her petticoat.

"Ma, why are you dressed?"

She giggled lightly, finding it funny that her son could be so forgetful.

"Denny, don't you remember what I told you yesterday? I did mention that I would go with your father yesterday. Did I not?"

He looked up towards the ceiling, as if his eyes could search through his memories for yesterday.

"If you did, I don't remember…."

Danny also tried to recollect the thoughts, as he couldn't remember either.

"I don't remember you telling me that either… does that mean we told Denny that I was going fishing today too?"

Iva nodded her head, "Yes, we did." She then shook her head at their forgetfulness. "You both are really absentminded."

"And that's why you are in charge of things in the home," Danny stated.

"Ehm, along with everything else it seems. Will you be ready soon?"

"Aye, you can wait for me outside, if you wish."

Iva fixed her headpiece, slightly bowed her head, before she pushed the wooden door and left, the door closing behind her.

Danny faced Denny again and patted him on the back gently.

"I'll see you later, kid."

Danny then walked to the front of the door, put two fingers into his mouth, and blew, letting out a whistle.

"Time to go Kuu buddy!" he added.

Kuu flew off of the windowsill and landed on his right shoulder, where he belonged.

"Time to find the perfect spot Kuu," he told him as he gave him a pat on the head.

He then looked around the hut, realizing he forgot one other item.

"Odd, I don't see my lucky bandana," he quietly said as he continued to look around.

"Pa, before you go… I want to ask you something."

"What's that?" he asked, finally giving up on finding his lucky bandana.

Denny jumped off of his hammock and walked up to his father. He lifted one hand and covered the side of his mouth to whisper, "I don't mean to speak ill of Ma, but I thought it was…bad luck to have a girl on a boat or ship."

His father laughed, his mouth opening wide, a cheerful sound leaving it.

"Ah yes, that old superstition and whatnot…."

He put a hand on Denny's shoulder, and let out a chuckle, "I usually follow traditions… or a superstition rather. However, I don't think it'll matter much. It's only for one day. Besides, she'll make a good replacement for my lucky bandana, as she's _my_ lucky charm."

Denny couldn't help but laugh.

Danny then looked from side to side, before he lowered his head and whispered, "Not only that, remember last time? She threw away a few fishing rods of mine because she thought they were 'junk' and that I had 'enough'. You can never have enough fishing rods, plus I rather keep an eye on her anyway. She might throw away something else."

"I heard that Danny!" Iva shouted from outside.

Danny let out a nervous cough, "And then there is her strange super hearing powers."

He stood back up straight and pushed the door to leave, with Denny following behind.

His mother was standing by the fishing boat, large enough to hold a net of fish and at least three passengers. His father joined her side, giving her a soft kiss on the cheek.

"Don't try to be sweet _now_. I heard you in there."

"You're the one that agreed to marry me."

She shook her head at his answer. Danny hopped into his fishing boat, getting the small nets and such to get ready to fish. Iva bought her attention to her son while he was busy.

"Denny, since I will not be home for a few hours, there are things that need to be done."

Denny internally sighed. He had a feeling that she was going to say something— should have stayed inside.

"There is one large fish that we didn't get to sell the other day. I want you to either sell it or cook it. If you decide to sell it, I want you to pick up a few things while at the market."

"Is there a list inside?"

"Go by memory, Denny. Anyway, I want you to pick up some vegetables, the ingredients to make flat bread, garlic, cheese, basil, and oregano."

"What are the ingredients for—"

"Check the kitchen for the recipe, as I wrote it down some time ago."

"Okay, anything else Ma?"

"Yes, and pick up some fresh water from the well. Two full vases should be enough. Anything else you need to know?"

"Yeah, what vegetables?"

"Anything is fine, whatever can go with fry fish… or whatever is being sold at the market, as long as it's fresh."

Denny nodded his head once, repeating all of the information in his mind, to memory.

"All ready to go!" Danny exclaimed happily, with Kuu chirping happily as well.

Iva, with the help of Danny, hopped into the boat. They both turned to face Denny, giving him a goodbye wave. Denny waved back, a bright smile on his face.

"See you later, kid!"

"We'll be back in a few! Don't forget to do everything!"

Kuu gave him a loud goodbye chirp too. As the boat drifted off further, Denny gave them another goodbye wave. He continued to watch them, until they were nothing but a dot in the distance. Even as the dot became smaller, he had a small feeling that bought a ping to his heart. A sense of feeling that made the smile on his face falter. It made him think… as if it would be the last time he would see them.

He shook his head, chasing away the feelings, finding them to be ridiculous. He then sighed, "Better do everything… after I catch-up on my sleep."

He turned with a loud yawn and headed back inside of the hut, deciding to go back to his hammock for much needed sleep.

* * *

As he finished rolling up his hammock, to hang it on the hook where it belonged, he repeated the things he needed to do under his breath, "Fresh vegetables, cheese, garlic, oregano, basil, water and…"

He hung the hammock on the hook, trying to recall the last thing he needed to do.

While doing so, he looked toward the kitchen, wondering what he should eat. Then it came to him. "Right, the ingredients for the flat bread. I wonder where that recipe is…."

Taking only a few steps to reach the kitchen, he immediately began his search for the recipe. Being a small kitchen and all, it didn't take him long to find the recipe. He picked up the small piece of paper, reading the ingredients listed on it in his mother's neat handwriting.

"Well, at least it's not a lot to get," he said in relief.

Putting the recipe back where he found it, he turned to get ready for the day. He didn't have much clothes to choose from. So he put on a pair of tan shorts and a plain t-shirt. After getting dressed, he returned to the kitchen to find the large fish his mother mentioned earlier. He found it neatly wrapped in the farthest corner on the counter. He took one sniff of it, and knew it was going to go bad soon— _real_ soon.

"_Won't be selling that_," he thought as he put the fish back onto the counter. "Fried fish it is, then."

He left the kitchen and grabbed his knapsack, which was hung beside his hammock. When he slung it over his right shoulder, he saw something under it on the same hook— his father's lucky bandana.

He picked it up and laughed at his father's 'blind' eyesight. "Pa, you are so forgetful." Although he knew it belonged to his dad, and was only his to touch, he knew this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity— to wear it.

In respect for his father, he decided to not wear it on his head. He instead tied it, as best as he could, to his upper right arm. He looked at it, and couldn't help but grin, "Looks pretty good on me… on my arm anyway."

He briefly wondered if he'll ever wear it—maybe he will, in time, he told himself.

Not wasting another minute in the house, as he had a lot to do, he left. He looked towards the dock, seeing the long row of fishing boats, although most were still in use out in the ocean. From his spot, he managed to find 'The Watchman', as he labeled him as, in his bright yellow hat and raincoat attire.

'The Watchman', as always, was sitting in a wooden chair at the end of the dock, looking out into the ocean. Even though his back was to him, Denny could imagine the man having his wooden pipe in his mouth, while looking intently out into the ocean.

"_He looks busy… I'll talk to him later_," he thought as he began to walk on the path to reach the marketplace.

Walking along on the dirt path, he passed by other homes like his own; from huts to small houses. It was quiet at first, but as he approached the market square, he could hear the familiar sounds; children laughing and playing tag, sellers and buyers talking deals, and so on.

He reached the fountain and leaned against it, looking for the stalls that would be selling the things he needed. Finding the stalls wasn't as easy as it looked, as there were more people out than usual.

"_Probably people from the other town_," he explained to himself.

He then decided that finding the things he needed from mere eyesight wasn't going to work. Standing straight again, he made his way towards the crowd. Trying his best to not push and shove through the crowd, and vice-versa from them.

He let out a sigh, "This is going to be a _long_ day."

* * *

Denny carried the last pail of water to put into the large vase at home. As he swung it in his hand, getting closer to home, he couldn't help but look towards the ocean. To his disappointment, his parents were still not back, and it has been a quite a few hours since they left. He became worried, although he shrugged the feelings away.

He walked inside of his home, and poured the pail of water into the vase hidden in the far corner.

"I'll return the pail later," he said as he put the pail down beside the vase.

He quickly left, deciding that now would be the best time to talk to 'The Watchman'. He walked along the dock, approaching the man from behind.

"How you, friend?" 'The Watchman' asked.

Denny now stood beside the old man. "Are they back yet?" he asked, worry clearly in his voice.

"Who they?"

"My Pa and Ma, Watchman."

He scratched under his chin and stated, "Nah sonny. They out still." He then shifted his eyes upward, focusing on the movement of the clouds for a few moments, before lowering them towards the ocean. "Hopefully they'll be back soon… I feel like a storm is coming."

Denny wanted to tell him that he was wrong, and to not jinx his parents. But he decided to keep his mouth closed, because deep down inside, he knew the old man was very knowledgeable concerning the weather— even if he didn't want to hear it.

"Mind if I join you?"

"Course sonny, I won't mind company."

Denny sat down on the wooden dock, folded his legs as if he was in meditation, and looked out towards the water; where he last saw them leave. He let out a strained sigh, "I don't think I'll be much company though…."

"In tat case, watch for me. I be back, I will warn the villagers about—" he stopped midway as he noticed the look on Denny's face— not wanting to hear the truth about the weather, furthering Denny's worry for his parents. "I… be back."

Denny nodded his head once at the old man, but his eyes and mind was completely focused on one thing.

The old man gave him a sympathetic look, but decided to not comment on it. He left instead, to do his duty, silently hoping that any fishermen will return in time. Denny didn't watch him go, attention still towards the same spot.

"_Hurry home… guys…._"

As time passed on, the old man's prediction of a storm coming was becoming more apparent. The clouds turned dark, the wind blew hard, the rain was pelting down, the water rolled every which way, tossing any unoccupied boats— and his parents _still_ weren't back yet. He was beyond worried; he was out of his mind.

"Sonny, that storm is mor' then brewin' out there. It time to take shelter."

Denny snapped his head towards the man, already stressed with worry for his parents- he didn't need anything else on top of that. "I'm not moving," he stated firmly, not planning to move an inch from his spot, even though he was soaked to the bone.

"Lis'in to reason. It gettin' worse. You wait at the shelter, I stay and wait for Iva and Dan."

"Then I'll wait with you," he replied without hesitation.

The old man threw his hands up in the arm, giving up with reasoning to him. "Then I guess I stay with you."

Before he could take a seat in his chair, Denny suddenly stood up and pointed towards the ocean. There was excitement on his face, along with a small smile. "There they are!" he shouted.

Iva and Danny were still far away from them, but they were getting closer—though the howling wind and treacherous water was making it difficult for them to even navigate their fishing boat. Denny's small smile was faltering more and more, as each wave hit the side of his parent's boat—hard. He could tell that with each hit it took, the more unstable it became.

"I—I got to help them!" Denny decided.

Before he could approach any rowboats, the old man grabbed his arm. He was a lot stronger then he looked, as he managed to hold him still.

"Wait! Can't you see what's happenin'!"

Denny tried to shake him off, then he noticed the man was pointing at something—something in the _water_. When he looked, at first, all he saw was the water moving, as it should be. But a second look revealed that the water in a certain spot, was moving in a circular motion, over and over—it was a whirlpool. He also noticed that the whirlpool was spinning faster and faster—turning into something else, something _more_ dangerous.

"That…can't be good," Denny muttered, obvious fear in his voice.

He looked back to the spot where he last saw their boat, and to his relief, they were getting closer. They were only a few feet away from the dock. They were so close that he could see his parent onboard clearly—or as clear as possible through rain.

Then it all went wrong.

Despite the howling of the wind, he could recognize the sound of wood hitting wood, and the old man heard it too. One of the rowboats wasn't tied tight enough, and with the wind blowing so hard, it easily flew from its rightful place. He watched it fly through the air, and hit his parents boat— hard. He heard the crashing sound, or did he imagine the sound?

The crash created wooden splinters, big and small, flying in every direction. He silently wished to himself that he couldn't see them— as he could now see everything happening, in slow motion.

A very large splinter, about as big as his arm, aimed towards his mother. He saw her mouth open, but the thunder and the wind silent her screams, as it smashed into her face… and she fell. Another splinter, being much smaller in size, had hit his father as well- right in his eye. His father, trying his best to ignore the pain, covered his damaged eye to go try to help his wife. With no navigator steering the boat, it quickly drifted off course, being pulled towards the strongest source in the water—the whirlpool!

The thunder was getting louder, the rain was combining with the wind, and the whirlpool as well. It was becoming apparent that it will turn into a hurricane.

Denny's warning cries of danger was drowned out by the chaos. His father though, being a fisherman for years, felt the boat shift course and that it was moving in almost a circular motion. He could see his father, while still covering his damaged eye, look over the boat—the look of surprise was evident.

It didn't take long for the boat to be inside of the whirlpool, and it was sinking fast. As the boat began to sink even further, his father looked up, searching, as if he was looking for something—or _someone_. His gaze finally landed on Denny, staring at him, and then he—smiled!

Instead of fear, there was peace. It was as if he wasn't afraid of anything, not even for his own evident death. The expression bothered Denny, and he ignored any thoughts on what it _could_ mean. "_He will escape! Ma will be alright!_"

Danny lifted his hand and grabbed Kuu off his shoulder, whom was cuddled close to his neck for protection. He reeled back his arm, like a pitcher, and threw him with all of his might. Either Danny was secretly a baseball player, or the wind was helping Kuu through the air—towards Denny.

Denny wasn't being held back at the moment, giving him the chance to move. Like a player in the field, Denny caught Kuu, and he could feel the poor thing shivering in fear. As he held on to him, he looked back up towards his father. Like before, his father still had that peaceful look, even his smile widen. He saw his mouth open, but he couldn't hear them, as the wind carried them elsewhere. But he did see that the boat was in the center of the whirlpool, and that it was taking his father and the boat to its dark depths. Instead of his father trying to steer it away a best as he could; he punched a fist into the air, while yelling something into the air. And just like a true captain, he sunk with his boat, without a single regret.

Finally coming out of his shock, Denny put Kuu on his right shoulder, not making sure that he was perched there correctly.

Before he could run to the nearest rowboat to try to save… them, the old fisherman stopped him. He grabbed Denny with both of his arms, both surrounding his abdomen, holding him firmly.

"Wh-What are you doing! Let me go! I have to save them!"

"Listin sonny, ya can't do anythang for them! Jus' look at the watar!"

This time, the whirlpool was spinning faster than ever. The clouds from above was combining with it, along with the rest of the bad weather.

"We go to the shelter or the storm will take us!"

"Let go of me you old coot! I _can_ save them!" Denny yelled as he thrashed his legs around and trying to elbow him at the same time.

Ignoring Denny's cries and angry words towards him, he pulled him along, with difficulty. Denny soon gave up fighting against him, and 'willingly' went with the man to go to the storm shelter.

The damages in the morning, will be more than physical for Denny.

* * *

**THE NEXT DAY**

* * *

On most mornings, when the sun rises, villagers would be getting ready for the day. But due to the previous day, after a serious storm, villagers went to their homes to inspect the damages to it. The villagers were safe, most of them. However, all it did was serve as a reminder to Denny that his parents weren't safe—weren't so lucky like the other villagers.

As he started to walk towards his home, he could see the damage the storm caused; a few houses were destroyed, wooden debris from rowboats everywhere, large water puddles, and other obvious wreckage.

His luck didn't get any better when he arrived home—or what was left of it….

The hut, his home, was completely destroyed. It didn't just destroy a place that he called home, it took the memories with it. The faint aroma of past dinners, the clothes his mother bought and made, the wooden ship figurines his father created— and so much more… it was _all_ gone.

Obliterated.

Ruined.

Erased from the land… as it will in time from his memories.

He stared at the wreckage, absorbing all of the happy memories that he could think of, trying to not think about what he saw before him now. Despite his efforts, the current situation kept creeping its way to the forefront of his brain. Kuu let out a low cry, and Denny patted his head gently in comfort, feeling the same as him.

"Sorre about your folks, sonny…." the old man said, as he put a hand on Denny's left shoulder.

Denny let out a sigh, but didn't say anything.

"The carpenters will rebuild ya home latar…. Is there anything I can do for ya?"

He shook his head in reply.

"I suppose ya need some 'lone time…. I be on my way then." At that, the old man left, leaving Denny alone once again.

He could hear, this time, the man walking away.

As soon as he realized that he was alone, he gave Kuu another pat on the head, continuing the action without thinking about it.

"Kuu, what am I going to do?"

Since Kuu couldn't reply in words, he said nothing.

"I figured you would do that," he sighed. He took his hand away from Kuu. "I… don't see the point of sticking around. It'll just be a horrible reminder to me," he muttered.

He stood there, for a very long time, trying to come to the decision on what he should do. His mind was battling with two ideas, and one of them was becoming louder, making him lean his decision to that idea.

He swallowed that large lump he felt in his throat; the words that were about to leave his mouth felt foreign to his tongue, and he briefly had a under-thought, wondering, "_Am I being hasty?_"

Before he could change his mind, his decision, he uttered the words, to make them real, "Kuu… buddy… I—_We_ are going to go on a long trip tomorrow."

Kuu tipped his head to the side slightly, as if it was confused by his words. "We will be… leaving home… and I don't think we will be coming back…."

* * *

_There were times I have asked myself, many in fact, why I left. Was I trying to run away? Did I not want to face the pain? Did I not want sympathy? Did I not want to be a… burden towards the community, the people… my friends?_

_One thing that I am certain of, we are a family. We do everything together; we see the same things, we do the same things, we believe in the same things. We are like a chain, unbreakable and strong._

_When a link in a chain is weak, it breaks apart. Therefore, the whole chain breaks, and it becomes weak, it is no longer a chain. And maybe… that was what I saw myself as. I saw myself, at the moment, to be very… vulnerable, a broken link in the chain. And since I cared for the people so much, I couldn't let that happen. I had to go, I had to leave… at least, that is what I tell myself when I do think of that horrible day._

_And yet, I still ask myself, why did I leave? And the question that follows it…._

_Did I make the right choice?_

* * *

**AUTHOR'S COMMENTS/NOTES**

* * *

_**(1**__) Danny_: This is actually Denny's Japanese name. Why was it changed for the USA? I have no idea, I mean, it's not like it's complicated to pronounce like Suiren (AKA Lily). Anyway, I decided to give his father this name instead. Not very creative on my part, but I found it to be quite… fitting.

[**POLL IS STILL UP!**] Er, sorry about the quote in the beginning, using TMNT as a quote would have been the last thing I use. But, since I am visiting family and one of them loves those ninja turtles, and makes me sit there and watch episodes with him- it is now in my head- theme song and all xD I can't believe I am able to think in such conditions….

Anyway, this is shorter than it should be, simply because I didn't mention many things; Denny's best friend (not Vaughn, he can't be everywhere you know), other parts of the town, the name of the village etc. I decided to leave out many things, because this is more like… a sneak peek of a future story I am planning to create. Since it is nothing but planning, that is all it is- a plan/idea. Besides, if I had included it, the chapter would be much longer. Although it would be interesting to read, it would be unnecessary, for this story anyway….

The next chapter will be back on track on the original story, of course, and it'll also explain why this chapter is here- in the story I mean. It will, also, be the last chapter for Fall. And, if I am thinking this through correctly, I have a feeling it'll be long too. But, it's not guarantee it'll be long, it might be short- depends how I write it.

Anything I forgot? Right, I was hoping to finish this story by the end of 2011, but I might not make it…. Although, once I reach chapter 30, I would have approximately only 10 chapters left. When my old laptop broke, that really set me back… and if I don't finish, this story will be 3 years old- although it'll be 3 in September, way before December/January comes along. So, maybe I will finish it before 2012 comes along right? Huh, who knows?

Once again, it is past 2 in the morning, I am beat, and I have things to do later in the day. Back to sleep I go! Until next time!

_**THANK YOU ALL FOR REVIEWING (And to those that read anonymously)!**_

*I believe I recovered everything from my old laptop… even though I feel like I am missing a file or two, I see nothing missing based on my own memory. All of my story material I recovered at least- and any old/important files too.


	29. Chapter 28, To Be Free

**WTH IS THIS? ===============================================================================)**

**Chapter 28, To Be Free**

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**FALL 26TH – WEDNESDAY**

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**Denny's POV**

"KUU!" I yelled in alarm as my head snapped up.

I was breathing hard, as if I just finished running a marathon. My hand touched my forehead, feeling moisture there, sweat- and a lot of it.

"'Bout time you woke up," a familiar voice said, obviously grumpy too.

I then brought my head to the side of my head, trying to calm the throbbing headache, before I looked towards the door. The room felt like it was spinning to me, and it looked blurry as well. It made it hard for me to focus on my visitor.

Once the room stopped spinning and my vision was clearer, I noticed the black cowboy hat first. It didn't take me long to put two and two together.

"Yo Vaughn!" I greeted to him with a smile.

I lifted my arm to see if he would give me a high-five, but the pain I felt all around my chest and stomach area prevented me from doing so. Instead, I immediately lowered the arm and brought my hands to my sides.

I couldn't help but groan in pain.

"Oh man… I feel like I've been hit by a truck."

"Obviously you shouldn't be moving…much," Vaughn said from his position by the door.

He changed his position to sit in the chair by the table, "And it's more like you've been hit by a tree."

The throbbing in my head became more painful as flashes of my memory of the storm went through my mind… and it was mangled with my nightmare of the past.

"Well… at least I'm alive."

"Along with your stupidity. Really, what were you doing outside during a storm?"

The pain in my head must have been more serious than I thought, because his words sounded distorted to me.

"Dude… your voice sounds all weird to me."

I didn't explain to him what I meant, though I was saved from doing so. The door creaked open, and I all I saw was white… a white coat.

"Ah! I see that you are completely awake now! How are you feeling?"

I blinked my eyes a few times before I looked at my new guest, Dr. Trent.

"Besides my headache and the pain at my sides? It's all good," I told him.

"Sorry to hear you are not pain free, but there is good news," Dr. Trent said as he approached the bed with a clipboard in his hand. "You haven't sustained any major injuries. Not a broken bone in your body, just minor bruises that should heal in a few days. You are, indeed, very lucky."

He reached a hand up to my forehead, the back of his hand touching it, "And it seems your fever is gone as well… despite the sweat."

He wiped his hand against his coat before jotting down something on his clipboard, "And you have been in and out of consciousness for the past few days. Though, no need to worry. You are, mostly, in good health. You can leave in a few hours… just in case."

Luckily the distortion of words I heard went away. I only caught most of what he said, but it was good news at least. At the same time, I noticed how dry my throat felt, and how cracked my mouth felt was further evidence on how parched I was.

"That's great and all, but I'm feeling really thirsty right about now."

Dr. Trent nodded his head, making one last scribble on his board, before he turned and left. I hope he comes back with a very large glass, I feel like I could drink the whole ocean in one gulp.

"Not a broken bone eh?" Vaughn said with a shake of his head, "You either have someone watching over you, or you have the damn devil's luck."

I couldn't help but chuckle at his comment.

"Well, _everybody_ loves me… not sure about you though."

"…wish the storm took your personality instead of just leaving bruises."

"_Ouch!_ I think someone needs to turn up the heat, its suddenly getting _really_ _cold_ in here."

Vaughn rolled his eyes, but I saw a hint of a smirk as well, "Now, you still didn't answer me. What were you doing outside while there was a storm raging?"

"I kind of stayed at the diner too long I guess. I… remember going outside, the rain and hail was already falling down pretty hard, and the wind wasn't any better. Since it was blowing so hard, I had to try to calm down… _Kuu_!" I then realized that I didn't feel the familiar light weight on my shoulder.

Without hesitating, I looked around the small room I was in, looking for the familiar black round shape of my buddy… but he wasn't anywhere in sight. Despite the pain that I knew I would feel from moving too much, I pushed the covers off of me and turned my body around to try to stand up.

"I don't think it's a good idea for you to stand," Vaughn commented, still in his seat with his arms crossed.

I stood up anyway, and I fell back onto the bed not even a second later. Apparently my body was still weak.

"_Looks like Dr. Trent was right about the safety precautions_."

One of my eyes winced from the brief pain before I said, "Kuu… where is he?"

I figured that if they found me, someone had to find Kuu nearby… right?

Vaughn gave a very low sigh, as if he knew the question I asked was going to pop up sooner or later, "I'm afraid that nobody has seen him. Dr. Trent said that Jungle Boy found you and, I uh… asked him to look around the jungle, but he couldn't find Kuu anywhere. I didn't have a lot of luck either."

Vaughn's words made me felt more worried for Kuu's wellbeing.

"_Where could he be?_"

Then I thought of his favorites spots on the island, places he would fly to whenever he wanted to be alone.

"_Maybe he is hiding? Very much safe?_"

"_Or his injuries are too great for him to come to you_," my conscience stated.

I felt my eye wince again, hoping that he wasn't injured too much that he couldn't fly. Without his wings….

"Maybe he flew off for warmer weather," Vaughn suggested, bringing my thoughts away from the worst case scenario for Kuu.

As much as I liked the sound of that idea… it wasn't true. I shook my head at his suggestion, "Kuu has never done that before, never needed to."

I brought a hand up to my shoulder, where Kuu would usually be perched at. With my hand feeling nothing but my shoulder, it just made the situation more real. It made me feel agitated and… incomplete.

It took me a moment for me to realize that I was shaking my head, almost violently, in denial. I couldn't, I just couldn't believe that Kuu was… _gone_. I refused to believe in it.

"No, just no. I… I can't believe he's just…_gone_! Kuu wouldn't just up and leave me! He-he's the only one that I have that's-" I immediately closed my mouth, as I almost revealed aloud that Kuu was the only friend I had left from my past, from my hometown… the last thing my father gave me, and the last thing my mother saw before….

Not one soul knew how connected Kuu was to me, not even Lanna. Lanna doesn't even know about my parents. Every time she asked me, I always avoided the question and her not-so-subtle hints to reveal that part of my life. She soon gave up asking about it, and I'm glad she did. If she kept probing and poking about it, I wouldn't be able to explain it anyway. If I told her about them… it would just bring back those horrific moments, and I try to avoid them as much as I can.

I squeezed my shoulder, my left hand still gripped to my right shoulder.

And the dream… I haven't had that dream in _years_ about my parents—_accident_. The last time I did was when….

I sighed and closed my eyes, not wanting to finish the thought.

"Your bird, Kuu… isn't just some stray bird that you took in, is he?"

"What makes you say that?" I asked him, trying my best to understand the meaning behind his question.

"I mean your level of care for that bird is different."

I didn't like what he said, and I actually felt a little irritated at him. I'm not sure if it's because Kuu is missing and I don't have him to remind me what I should be, or if it's because a little of Vaughn's personality has rubbed onto me over the time I knew him.

"And what does _that_ mean?" I asked, carefully keeping my tone mostly neutral.

"I'm not saying that you shouldn't care. I'm just saying that compared to what I have seen throughout my experience concerning strays, when it runs away… the owner does get upset to a degree. But you… the expressions that you are giving are different. You're acting like you lost your life or something."

I remained silent instead, deciding to not answer the words he _didn't_ ask.

"Also, Lanna mentioned something about you screaming a few times over the past few days… not to mention, you even yelled Kuu's name when you woke up. I was here, remember?"

This time I let out a sigh. Deciding if I should mention my dream to him or not.

"_Not like he talks to anybody else much or that he would mention it if I told him…_"

I decided against the idea of mentioning it to him and instead said, "Let me just say that Kuu means a lot to me. I just feel… weird without him resting on my shoulder—or my head the few times he has rested there."

He gave me a blank stare in reaction, but to my relief, he didn't push me to explain or asked me to elaborate on my comment. Instead, he gave me a nod in understanding.

I closed my eyes to silently pray to the fishing god**_(1)_** that Kuu would be alright, and that he would find his way back safely if nobody on the island could find him.

"_Be safe buddy… I just—don't want to be alone. I don't want to be the only reminder of my hometown; you have all of the memories stored, both the good and the bad… I don't want to forget the good…._"

Opening my eyes again, I turned my head to look at Vaughn. Before I could ask Vaughn about him possibly looking for Kuu again, the door to the room opened. The first thing I saw was the white lab coat, immediately telling me that it was Dr. Trent at the door. I hoped that he brought me a drink of water, as I still felt thirsty.

From my position on the bed, I gave him a weak smile before he completely stepped into the room.

At first, everything was fine… until my eyes drifted to the object in his hand.

I felt my mind go into panic mode; the room felt like it was spinning, my whole body began to break out in a cold sweat or at least it felt like it, my lungs constricted as if a snake was choking me, I felt my pupils shrink in size, and I began to shake uncontrollably.

I then heard a loud noise ring throughout my ears, making me feel like I would go deaf at any second. The loud noise turned out to be someone screaming, a frightening scream. There were also shouts of profanity here and there, between the screams, the words directed at Dr. Trent.

It took me a moment to realize that the screaming and the cursing… was me. My own doing.

No matter how much my mind, another part of it, told me to stop, to calm down, to ease up- I couldn't. _I just couldn't stop_, even though I _really_ wanted to and I knew what I was doing was _wrong_, my body wouldn't listen, and the larger part of my brain wouldn't let me control myself either. It was as if something else took control of me, both my mind and actions.

I didn't realize that I was thrashing as well, kicking and flailing my arms as if I was defending myself against an evil demon… I didn't even feel the strong hands apply pressure to my arms, pushing me back from causing any harm to anyone around me or to myself.

I could then feel my eyes move around the spinning room frantically, before I settled them onto a face that wasn't moving with the room.

Vaughn was yelling at me, but I couldn't make out the words he was saying.

As if someone unmuted the world to me, I began to hear what he was yelling to me.

"Damn it Denny! Calm the hell down!" he yelled.

The room slowly stopped spinning, my lungs were loosened, my body stopped sweating, my pupils went back to their normal size, and the shaking of my whole body ceased. The thrashing of my arms and legs stopped shortly after too.

I was breathing loudly once again, like I did when I first woke up.

That was when I began to feel the pressure around my arms, the grip very tight, tight enough to not make me move too much… and feel the pain of the grip.

"Are you calm now? Or does Dr. Trent have to make a restraint for you?" Vaughn asked me, his face expression showing his usual frown and irritation, though there was a slight look of surprise there too.

I blinked my eyes a few times, not sure what happened or what he was really talking about.

"What are you ta-"

"Answer the question," he said instead, his expression dead serious.

I decided to nod my head in answer, not able to talk yet. I felt like I wasn't getting enough air in my lungs.

He gave me a wary look, but he did quickly let go of my arms and sat back down in his seat. His eyes never left me once, as if he was making sure I wouldn't make any sudden movements.

I began to rub the side of my arms, he gripped them hard enough that they felt painful, and he probably left a bruise or two too.

"What was that for?" I asked him, slightly upset that he did that.

His frown deepened a bit. "If this is some joke on your part Denny, I'm not laughing," he said. He moved his hand towards the bottom of his chin and rubbed at it, as if something hit him.

"Joke?" I repeated, confused with his choice of words. I then shook my head and continued, "I'm not joking Vaughn. I have no idea why you had to grip my arms."

He just stared back at me, his eyes unmoving. I think he was trying to see if I was telling the truth, or if I was deceiving him.

He finally blinked once and said, with that irritated tone of his, "You went damn psycho once Dr. Trent came in is what happened. You started screaming and cursing like somebody was trying to kill you. And then you started to kick and swing your arms around as if you were trying to fight off whatever in the hell freaked you out."

He rubbed at his chin harder, making me ask him, "Why are you doing that?"

"Because one of your damn kicks got me on the chin," he muttered as he kept rubbing along it, while silently cursing under his breath.

I blinked at him in disbelief before I chuckled lightly, though it felt almost forced. "That's funny Vaughn… well, not really funny, but come on. You're basically telling me that I panicked once Dr. Trent came inside the room... and hit you by accident."

"If I didn't hold you back like that, you would have probably attacked Dr. Trent too."

I slightly shook my head at Vaughn's claims, but once I looked around the room, I realized that Dr. Trent wasn't anywhere. It made me feel doubtful about my own words.

Before I could question Vaughn further concerning my... panic attack, I heard the door softly creak open. Vaughn turned away from me to look towards the door and basically yelled, "I don't think it's a good idea for you to come back in Dr. Trent. 'Cause if he tries to attack you again, I'm not going to hold him back."

"I think I know what caused his sudden outburst," Dr. Trent said from the doorway.

"I hope you're sure about that," Vaughn commented, his tone still serious and irritated.

The door opened wider, and he stepped into the room, slowly; making sure that I wouldn't... have another 'panic' attack like before.

Once he was inside the room fully, he stayed by the door, standing there. I guess to make a run for it if he needed to. Although, me looking at him didn't bring back any of those feelings I had before again.

He sighed in relief before he approached me. His face expression conveyed sympathy... and I didn't like it. I had the feeling that he was going to deliver some _really_ bad news to me.

He looked at his clipboard briefly before he looked back at me, and he let out a low sigh. "Denny... I'm afraid the only explanation for your sudden outburst was caused after seeing that other object I held in my hand."

I did remember that there was something in his hand... but I don't remember exactly what it was.

I gave a light chuckle and jokily said, "Wasn't a needle right? I haven't been afraid of those since I was kid, but I guess it's possible for an old fear to rise up again."

He didn't laugh, not even a ghost of a smile appeared. His expression didn't change at all. "I truly wish it was something as minor as that."

"Minor?" I repeated. Whatever he thought was the problem, he didn't see it as minor. It just made me feel nervous and my positive demeanor towards the situation was faltering.

"Denny... you have somehow developed a strong fear of... well, you're now an aquaphobic."

I blinked at him once, being unsure if I heard him right. Aqua means water, and phobic, which sounds like phobia- means fear, right? If I put those meanings together...

I laughed at his twisted sense of humor, so much that I felt like my eyes would become blurry.

Sucking up the last bit of laughter in me, I then said to him, "That's quite funny Doctor. A fisherman, like me, is _afraid of water_? Yeah, okay."

I let out another chuckle again... but I was the only one laughing. Dr. Trent still held that look of sympathy on his face. His expression unchanging. Vaughn, on the other hand, looked surprised with the news, but he remained silent. Though, I don't expect him to laugh; he's just not like that.

The little humorous mood I had left in me died down, very abruptly. I kept looking at his face, looking for any signs of change. _Any_ type of change that would tell me that he was wrong, even a little wrong with his observations, or if he doubted his own words.

Nothing changed, not even a little.

I shook my head in denial, slightly frowning, as I wasn't finding this vicious 'joke' funny anymore.

"I'm not finding this joke to be funny anymore... What makes you so sure that I'm afraid of water? What if it's... I don't know! Like... the thing the water was in! Like the cup itself or the color of it or something! I'm _not_ afraid of water!"

Dr. Trent shook his head and said, "I thought of those possibilities, but if you think about the recent event that happened to you, it makes a _lot_ of sense of how your fear came to be."

"No it _doesn't_ make sense! Not at all!" I yelled, almost screaming at him, my face actually became a little heated.

I breath out a slow sigh, calming down, and said, "Besides, I think what I saw in your hand was red anyway. I still think that freaked me out, not the water that was inside. How could I see the inside of it if the cup was red?"

The expression on his face finally changed, to one of confusion. "Red?"

He then looked at me, his eyes not moving, observing me quietly.

Before I could ask him why he was looking at me like that, he finally said, as low as a whisper that I was _almost_ unsure if I heard him at all, "Denny... the cup wasn't red. It was a clear glass cup."

My eyes enlarged, also dashing my side of the argument of him being wrong. I didn't even get the color of the object right.

"_What if he's right?_" my conscience asked me.

"_He-he can't be right! He just can't be!_" I argued back.

"No, no, just no... I-I won't believe it! You have to prove it to me!" I exclaimed at him, forcing him to keep arguing about his observations. Doctor or not, I _won't_ believe it. I can't believe in it! If I do, I am...

Instead of him leaving the room, like I expected him to do, he simply said in that professional tone of his, "Do you really want me to do that again? Do you really want that anxiety feeling to come back? And even if I did do it, which I won't, you might cause harm to yourself or even take longer to recover from the panic attack then your previous one."

That time, I couldn't argue with him. The words I wanted to say wouldn't leave my throat. It was as if they were stuck tightly where my Adam's apple rested. I did open my mouth, but nothing left my mouth.

My whole world, one I have known since childhood, just flipped upside down... in a single day. After years of being part of a familiar and enjoyable lifestyle, one I was completely content with, it all just... _goes to hell in one day_!

I couldn't take it, the pain I felt. My hand went to where my heart rested and I squeezed in that area, trying to stop the ache I felt there. My head felt light, and not in a good way. Even my breathing slowed down. I wanted to scream, yell, and break down all at the same time.

Before I could decide on any of those feelings, I suddenly turned to Dr. Trent with an idea.

"Well, you're a doctor. Can't you prescribe something to me that would help me? I'm sure there is something I can take that can-"

He immediately shook his head in answer.**_(2)_**

His answer drove me over the edge.

I took him by surprise when I quickly stood up, gripping the sides of his coat, and I ignored every painful nerve in my body; I simply didn't care.

"What do you mean _no_! There's got to be something for my... _condition_! I can't live like this!"

He didn't even try to shrug me off. "Denny, what you have is psychological, _not_ physical or even a minor illness. I am a doctor of the physical plane, _not_ the mental kind. I _can't_ help you with your specific problem. The only thing I can do is recommend you to go speak with a psychiatrist."

"I do _not_ need to go see some psychiatrist! I am _not_ crazy! Are you telling me that I am, huh? Are you telling me that I belong in some damn psych ward! Because I am telling you that I _don't_!"

"You need to calm down Denny," someone said.

It took me a second to realize that Vaughn said that. I actually forgot he was in the room. What he said to me didn't ease my mind; it just made me even more upset.

I took _him_ by surprise when I turned to face him, letting Dr. Trent go in the process. I still had that panic feeling going on inside of me, and it didn't help that Dr. Trent's original words were still ringing inside of my head, making me feel stircrazy.

"Calm down? _Calm down_? **_Calm down_**! How could you ask me to calm down!I-I-I _can't_ calm down you damn _moron_! Can't you see that-that..."

My whole body began to shake again, but it wasn't like before. This time, I was shaking because my overworked body couldn't take it anymore, couldn't even stand straight anymore. It was stilled bruised from the storm and the pain didn't subside while I was arguing with them; I just ignored the pain.

But I couldn't prolong it anymore; I had to let my body rest.

I didn't protest against my body anymore. Instead, I sat back onto the bed, almost fell back onto it. My whole body still ached, but at least my kneecaps weren't clattering against one another anymore, threatening to make me crash down to the floor. The task was harder than I thought, as I was breathing hard again, sucking in air as quick as I could.

Even though I was physically out of it, along with my throat being even drier than before, my mind wasn't finished.

I kept shaking my head, muttering the same word over and over again. Or maybe, I wasn't muttering the word at all, maybe I was telling it to myself in my mind. It just that the words seemed louder in sound.

"No, _no_, **_no_**..."

It didn't take long for the same feelings from before to wash over me.

Dr. Trent said something to me in that sympathetic tone of his. I don't know what he said, but neither did I care. I had too much on my mind then to be worried about what he said. What else could he say that wasn't worse then what he already told me? What _good_ news could he tell me that would overshadow my situation, my life?

Now that I thought about it... what will I do now?

The silence of the room dragged on, and I didn't have an answer for my own question. In fact, I'm not sure what it is I should do now. I have never felt so... lost before...

The silence was broken, "That was a first." Vaughn commented, making it seem like his comment was more of a thought aloud then a comment directed at me.

I actually forgot he was here in the room, _again_, but I didn't look at him.

"You actually called me a moron, and even said 'damn'... although compared to your panic attack, that was milder," he continued, and I could hear the slight surprise in his comment, not really offensive.

I felt my eye wince a bit, as that was something I didn't really mean to say. It just that at that moment, I couldn't really hold back my panic. I have never felt so out of control before.

"_What is wrong with me?_"

Never have I felt so... disoriented, not even when my parents had that horrible accident... at least not as much as I feel right now.

My lack of response to him must have made him feel uncomfortable or something, because he then decided to say something else. I know Vaughn isn't the talking type, and that he can be quite meanspirited at times; but he didn't have to go so far with the next words out of his mouth.

"I don't really see what the big deal is, Denny. It's just water."

I felt my eye twitch again, and I wasn't exactly sure of the reason. Am I upset about my situation or with his crude statement? And there are other times I wonder, such as these, if someone is purposely trying to push my own patience by making him say such things to me.

Or maybe he's just _that_ dense about my situation, of why I reacted in that particular way to Dr. Trent.

I sighed and finally said to him, "I don't think you understand at all, Vaughn. I am a fisherman, have been all of my life, since I was a kid. I was raised to be one and destined to be one when I was born. Maybe you see it as a hobby of mine, or even see it as it being simply my job, but it's more than that."

I lightly brought my fingers together, overlapping them, before I gently rested my chin on it. "You don't understand how I feel when I am out there. The ocean _isn't_ just water. I can understand that the water is dead about time it reaches the shoreline, losing its strength and its excitement. But when I am in the middle of the ocean, in-between where it meets the sky... it makes me want to look into its depths. To discover what's inside of it; and it offers a very large variety of its mysteries, and there is always more to be discovered."

My eyes closed, as I tried to bring up those feelings I get when I am out in the ocean... but it didn't happen. My mind couldn't even conjure up those emotions, not even a little. It just made my heart ache a little. I swear I felt it tighten. "When I am out there, I feel like I can do _anything_. That I can catch anything I want without second thought, that I can relax, and my mind and soul are one and not separate like I feel when I am on land. Fishing to me is like breathing. It's not a _hobby_, not a _job_, it's my _bloodline_. It's my lifeline in order to survive. I feel _alive_ when I am out there. And being out there tells me that the ocean is alive too."

My fingers tighten a little without my say-so. "Those are the feelings I get when I am out there... and yet..." I opened my eyes, and I finally glanced at him. His stony expression stared back at me, before I said quietly, "Yet I have to ask... how one can be afraid of something that they love?"

And then I realized that was what scared me.

The question I asked was what sent me into a mixture of feelings, confusion being one of them. I know how I feel when I am out fishing; the open air, the smell of the ocean, the calm waves under my boat, the gentle swaying... the _freedom_. Even if it was for just those few hours, for those few precious moments, I felt at peace. Without a care in the world, not an ounce of worry would cloud my mind. Even when I left that special place, to return to land, those feelings still engulfed me throughout the day, making me feel cheerful about anything, even when something negative was thrown my way.

It really put me on edge, to now be afraid of water. Making me fear a place that made me feel free. This new fear of mine made me fear _freedom_. How could one fear that?

Now I felt like a trapped animal on land, never again to explore those mysterious depths again. To never be able to feel that way again. It made me feel like I was similar, or exactly like _everybody else_.

I turned away from Vaughn to stare at the white wall, and I briefly thought how hard I would have to bang my head against it before I died.

Wait... I'm already dead, or at least I might as well be. What good is there to my life if I am going to be like this for—I don't even _want_ to think about how long I could be like this!

I looked away from the wall and hung my head instead of taking that violent course of action.

I heard a sigh come from Vaughn, a very quiet one. I didn't even look back at him. Truthfully, I was actually hoping that he would go away so that I could be left with my contemplations.

He didn't move from his seat, instead he quietly said, replying back to my question I realized, "You're asking the wrong person that question. How would I know what that is?"

It made me glance at him, and his stony expression wasn't as strong as before. It had faltered, a least a little.

I let out my own sigh, feeling exhausted, "Maybe you're right... maybe you are the wrong person to be asking."

Once again, the silence took over in the room, extending far longer than it should have.

After what felt like an eternity went by, Vaughn finally said, using the same low tone as before, "I'm not use to this."

I slightly frowned, not understanding what he meant. He then continued, after seeing the slight confusion on my face most likely. "I'm not use to seeing you look so—vulnerable," he finished, though I felt like he wanted to use another word.

"What exactly is that supposed to mean?"

He blinked at me once, slightly staring, before he added, "I mean you always have that stupid look on your face. Nothing ever seemed to faze your carefree attitude, not even things that should have. I just don't understand how this can be any different."

Sometimes I think Vaughn can be a little too truthful at times. I usually don't mind his straight forward, although rude, comments. But, I think he went too far this time around.

I replied to him, being the last thing I wanted to say, to end the whole conversation, "There's a difference between being carefree and being like stone, Vaughn."

I looked away from him for the final time, leaving that one sentence in the air for him to interpret. To my relief, he took it as a sign for him to leave, as I saw him stood up from his seat from the corner of my eye. I heard the opening and closing of the hotel room not too long after.

I let my body fall back, my head hitting the soft cool pillow, before I closed my eyes. Sleeping wasn't an option, something impossible to do at the moment when multiply thoughts were buzzing around in my mind. Many of them I couldn't answer with an easy response... or even give one at all; anything to silence the constant and torturous agitation in my head.

I bought one hand to rest over my closed eyelids. It didn't lesson any of the pain within.

* * *

**Vaughn's POV**

I was standing in the lobby, not really going anywhere. It was a little difficult for me to focus when my mind was still occupied with what Denny said to me. That one sentence he said left me a little irritated, but mostly confused.

What he said to me had more meaning behind it then it should have, it had to. It wasn't that hard to understand what he meant, he was obviously referring to me when he said it.

I felt the line around my mouth tighten, something I didn't have control of that time.

"_What would he know anyway?_" I asked myself.

Shaking my head to get rid of the pestering thoughts and that odd feeling that felt like guilt, I took a step forward, planning to leave the Hotel. The sight of Dr. Trent talking to that annoying pop-star made me halt in my tracks, being only a few feet away from the front door.

She was sitting down in a chair by the door, while the doctor himself was standing. Dr. Trent face looked serious as he spoke to her in a quiet tone, while her face, a first for me, held worry, anxious even.

She just kept nodding her head at whatever Dr. Trent was telling her. Though her face looked like it would have a spasm at any given time; the anxiety on her face kept increasing with every nod she gave him.

Their conversation was finally over, as he gave her a small pat on her shoulder of sympathy before he turned away from her to return to his own room. I expected her to go back to Denny's room, but instead, she hung her head low, most of her hair covering her face.

I made my own obvious conclusion that whatever he said to her wasn't good, and that it would be best for me to leave.

As I was walking towards the door again, just about ready to leave, she spoke to me, stopping my actions. I let out a sigh, but I didn't say anything as I turned to face her.

Her expression didn't change; it still held that troubled look.

"You just left the room right?" she asked me as she pulled slightly at her dress.

I just nodded my head at her question.

"Well um... how was he when you left?"

I held back on the sigh I wanted to escape. I was hoping she wouldn't ask me.

"Not good. Probably more of a wreck then you are." She didn't even react to my words, not in the way I expected her; a little angry at me for commenting on her looks in the negative. Not even a glint of fury was seen in her eyes. That was when I thought about Dr. Trent and their conversation I didn't hear. "Why? What did he say?"

That bought a reaction out of her, making her pull at the hem of her dress harder, threatening to rip the fabric itself.

I was about to repeat the question, thinking that she wasn't going to reply to me, but she spoke up first.

"He told me about his... condition," she said in hesitation. I found it odd that she used the same word as Denny did to describe his fear. "He also said that I should keep an eye out for him."

That made me confused. "Why would he say that? What exactly does _that_ mean?"

She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. It looked like she was having a difficult time uttering the same words that Dr. Trent told her, whatever they were.

After she kept doing that for the next few seconds or more, attempting to talk and failing, she quietly said, barely above a thought, "He said that... he seemed almost suicidal... and that I should consider putting him under suicide watch."

My ears couldn't believe what they were hearing. Denny, under suicide watch?

It seems that it wasn't just Denny that was hit by something in the storm.

I shook my head at her in disbelief. "Denny is stupid, but not that stupid."

She didn't react negatively with that statement either. She glanced down, no longer looking at me. "Maybe..." she softly said.

Her eyes stayed that way for a while. I was about to try to leave again, but she spoke up again, asking, "Have you seen Chelsea?"

I felt my eye involuntarily twitch at the name. I managed to not hear her name throughout the day, and had the luck of not seeing her either. But even when I try to avoid hearing the name, let alone seeing her, she somehow pops up anyway; unwanted and uninvited.

"No," I said, my voice straining a little.

I hoped she wouldn't ask what I was _thinking_ she would ask next, but the world wasn't that fair to me.

"I just... find it odd that she hasn't visit Denny, not once."

Even though something like that would be odd, I didn't budge from her borderline _whining_ statement. "And? What does that have to do with me? Maybe she's just busy."

She shook her head, "Even so, she would just _not_ do something like that. She would visit at least once. She hasn't at all for the past few days since Denny has been... sick."

"_In the past few days?_" I thought, almost repeating it aloud to her.

I decided to change the focus of the topic, a little. "What about that stupid rancher, Mark?"

She quietly sighed, "He told me he only sees her at the ranch in the morning. After that, she wanders off. He doesn't really talk to her much, I don't know the reasons."

I put that new information into the back of my mind, deciding to ponder about that later.

"I would go ask him to go search for her, but since he's not here at the moment and only you are..."

I glared at her, trying to see if she was doing this purposely, but I didn't see any deceit in her facial expressions. It held the same worried look as before.

I held my stare on her for a few more moments, waiting to see if she would falter even a little—nothing changed.

I finally gave up, letting out a defeated sigh. "Fine. I'll take a quick look around to see where she has gone to. But I'm only doing it because I just happen to be around, no other reason."

She didn't even let out a smile, just a small nod of understanding. "Thank y-"

"Please, don't."

She just gave me another nod, "Ok. I'm going to go see Denny and...we'll just see you later."

At that, she stood up from her seat and walked over to the door where Denny rested. I left the Hotel before she even went into the room.

Once outside, the air was colder then when I arrived. I could feel the effects of winter approaching. My breath could be seen a little in the air, the familiar cold fog forming. Lucky for me, winter doesn't bother me as much, like the summer didn't.

I shook my head as I thought about the 'task' I would have to do now.

"_She's probably somewhere blaming herself for this nonsense... though it might be her fault._"

I shook my head again. "_Jeez, I'm actually beginning to believe in that stupid omen._"

Pushing that thought aside, I decided not to waste any more time, taking long strides on the familiar path.

As I walked on the path, I thought about where I should look first. The ranch wasn't going to be one of them, since that rancher himself told Lanna that she 'wandered off'.

Without debating with myself too much, wasting even more precious time, I tried the Café.

She wasn't there at the end of my search, neither was she at the Diner (since they are right next door to one another).

While on the path, I looked towards her home, but I didn't see any lights illuminate from it, back or the front. It told me enough that she wasn't home.

I then turned my attention to the Jungle, looking across the bridge there. An annoyed sigh escaped me.

"_The things I have to do..._"

Before I could change my mind, I turned my feet to follow the path that would lead me to the Jungle. I don't remember seeing her when I asked jungle boy to look for Kuu, and he didn't mention seeing her himself, but maybe she showed up later and is there now.

I crossed the bridge and stuck to the very hard-to-see path. As I continued along, remembering things here and there so that I could backtrack when needed, I saw something white in the distance. I stood still, staring at it. It took me only a moment longer to realize that it was a white jacket. I let out a scoff, already guessing who it was.

"_Might as well ask Mr. Rich Boy,_" I thought bitterly. Just thinking of asking for his help, or at least implying it, made me felt more annoyed then I already was.

With my long strides, it didn't take me long to reach him. He saw me as I stopped a few feet away from him. At the same time, I noticed he held a notebook in his hand while the other held a pencil.

The notebook looked oddly familiar to me, as if I seen it before.

Realization struck me as the answer came to me. It was the same notebook I saw in his room that day when he first arrived, when he gave us that tour... the one he closed before I could read any of it.

He must have realized it too, because he stopped writing in it, closed it, and held it behind his back, hiding it from my view.

He then gave me a small polite smile, though it looked forced to me, "Ah, Vaughn! How is your day?"

"I'm not in the mood for your useless side chatter. I'm just here to ask a question and then I'm gone."

He nodded once, "You may ask."

At least he got straight to the point and didn't try to be theatrical about it.

"Have you seen Chelsea?" I asked, swallowing a little of my pride down.

He gave me a slow nod in the affirmative. "She was here about an hour or so ago."

I think I just saw his eye _wince_, but the movement was gone before I could double-check if the action did happen.

"She looked troubled about something. I asked her if she wanted to have a peaceful lunch with me to try to ease her mind, maybe even talk about it. She told me to—leave her alone for the rest of the day."

I had to try really hard to _not_ grin at his words. Seems to me that she didn't even try to buzz him off as kindly as she could.

I frowned a little as I thought it about it, as that would be another odd behavior of hers. She would usually try to be as nice as possible... maybe I should be a _little_ concerned at this point.

Before I decided to leave, I looked at Will's hand, the one that was behind his back holding the notebook. "What's inside of that?" I asked him.

He smiled again, "I believe you said that you had _a_ question. As far as I know, you have asked it."

I didn't have time to play words with him, so I turned away from him, but not before I muttered to him, "Smart-ass."

I didn't see his reaction, but I did hear a quick huff from behind me.

I left the Jungle with ease, now crossing the bridge. My eyes slowly drifted to the sky. Unlike the last time I was here, the sky was clear of any clouds, not one dark cloud lurked anywhere. It also had that orange-yellowish glow to it, indicating that it'll be dark in a few more hours. The air was still chilly, and it'll get colder later. I must have been at the Hotel longer then I thought.

"_Better find her before it gets dark_."

I continued on the path, trying to decide where to go next.

With only a few places left to go to, I decided to try the Forest next.

It didn't take me long to reach West Town again. As I crossed the entrance of beach, I thought I saw something red from the corner of my eye. I took a few steps back, being at the entrance of the beach again. I let out a sigh of relief, a breath I didn't even realize I was holding.

I didn't ponder about my actions, the meaning behind it; instead I took steps inside of the beach. As soon as I stepped one foot onto the sand, I looked toward Denny's shack without thinking. Despite it being in bad condition, prior to the storm, it was still standing. Looking at the shack reminded me of Denny's newfound fear of water.

"_How is he going to live in that if it's near water?_"

I stared at it for a little longer before I looked away, without arriving to an answer to my own question. Knowing Denny though, I'm sure he'll figure something out.

"_Are you sure he'll even be the same?_" my conscience asked me.

I didn't answer it.

To keep me occupied, I bought my eyes back to where Chelsea was standing. She was standing at the shoreline, but far enough that the water didn't touch her feet. Her focus was aimed at the ocean, just enough for her to see despite Will's yacht being there.

I shook my head, slightly wondering how long she has been standing there.

"_Better get this over quick._" I told myself.

I took another step, and then I suddenly stopped as something in her hand caught my attention. It made my whole body go stiff, frozen, as if winter had come and turned me into ice. My blood felt just as cold, and I felt the color drain from my face as well.

"_What...is she going to do with that?_"

In her hand was a very large knife. One of those knives that professional chef's use and it looked sharp as well as new.

Without her moving, the reflection of it glinted at me, as if it was _smiling_ at me, daring me to take another step.

I had to force my eyes away from it to look back at Chelsea—her back was still to me.

"_This can't be good._"

A few ideas formed inside of my mind, actions I could take. I glanced at the hand that held it again, and her grip on it was tight. She definitively wasn't going to be using it for something _good_.

First Denny goes psycho, and now apparently, she is.

This just isn't my day.

"_Maybe you can sneak behind her and grab it before she notices you?_" my conscience suggested.

My eyes were still focused on the knife in her hand, not looking away or even blinking. I didn't want to miss any movements she could make.

I didn't really like the idea. Holding back someone that was kicking and flailing their arms wilding is different than trying to disarm someone with a weapon. And if I screw up...

I tried to think of something else to do, another course of action to take. But no matter how hard I tried too, none of them were any better, or would work at all.

I forced my body to unfreeze itself, and I began to take slow steps towards her, taking a few long strides to reach her a little quicker.

Each step I took towards her made me feel a little bolder then the last step I took. And to my relief, I wasn't too far from her- only a few more steps.

Then my damn foot hit a large seashell, one I didn't see in the sand.

It didn't hurt, but the noise was loud enough to grab her attention, as I saw her head turn to look at me.

I muttered a few curses under my breath.

She turned around completely to face me. I stood there, estimating how many more steps it would take me to reach her.

Too many still. A few too many.

I was, however, close enough that she could hear me.

"Chelsea... what the hell are you going to do with that?" I asked her as calmly as I could.

Her hand raised a little, and I saw her eyes shift to it. It looked like she just noticed it was in her hand, as if she was looking at it for the first time. I was about to take a small step forward, one that she might not notice, but she looked back up at me before I could... and she gave me a small smile. Her eyes though, betrayed her. I saw the overwhelming sadness in them. It made the panic I felt before come back.

Pushing that panic down, I took a small step towards her anyway.

"Put the damn knife down Chelsea, I'm warning you," I said, my voice hardening.

"_I don't think threatening her is a good idea, and you should sound a little nicer._" my conscience warned me.

Chelsea didn't listen to me, so I tried it again, but I didn't dare take another step this time.

"Put the knife down, _please_," I said, saying the last word with a strain.

That didn't work any better, as her grip just tighten even more around it.

I decided to try one last tactic.

"Denny's injury wasn't your fault. He was just being stupid for being out there."

I winced at my choice of words, but it was too late to take them back. It's a little hard for me to think straight at the moment.

The smile on her face seems to have widened, but just barely. However, she didn't let go of the knife, or even looked like she was about to put it down.

I was about to add on more to that last sentence, hoping that would make her put it down before she took any rash actions.

Her hand with the knife lifted up, quicker than I anticipated... and she was going to take action.

"_Damn it!_"

I took quick strides, trying to take just those last few steps (_why_ do they seem so far still?).

I saw her swipe the knife across her—

I then stopped, her being only two steps away from me. The panic I felt subsided a little, though surprise took its place. I blinked my eyes at her, unsure how I should react.

"_She...cut her hair?_"**_(3)_**

The knife was swiped across her hair, not her neck like I thought where she was aiming; though they are very close together.

Her hair was now short, the ends of it surrounding her face a little more. The length just reaching the bottom of her chin.

I could then see the strands that she cut off be taken by the breeze, drifting off. I looked at them for a moment, seeing them being carried out to the sea, before I looked back at her.

What I saw made me felt like my heart had stopped beating, just for that moment. At the same time, I felt myself take in a large amount of air, and I didn't let it out.

She was crying.

Not the type of tears that held self-pity, not even pain... it felt different. To add on to my surprise, she still had that smile on her face.

I was taken even more aback when she spoke, although it was more shouting then talking.

"I can't help it anymore! I-I can't stand the pain anymore! Everyone is losing something valuable to them! All of my friends are losing things they love to do! Whether it's related to work, a talent, or even a hobby! And yet..."

I saw more tears fall down her face, but she continued anyway, and she was still smiling. "They can continue on with life, with smiles! Julia, she's so brave for not being ashamed, for not caring! Pierre smiles despite not being able to see Natalie! I-I've decided that I need to lose something important too! If they can continue with life, despite their losses, then so can I! I-I want to be free too!"

This gave me pause, it made me wonder if I knew her at all, if I really learned anything about her the whole time I have known her. I swear that every imaginative step I took back, away from her, she somehow takes two steps forward, just surprising me with something she does or says—and I still don't believe I know enough.

...maybe, just this once, I won't take a step back.

* * *

**Chelsea's POV**

I had already dropped the knife into the sand, shortly after I cut my hair. I lifted my hands and started to rub them, the tears, away, something I didn't mean to do in the first place.

Just as I finished wiping the last one away, I looked up to where Vaughn stood, him being only a few steps away from me. He still had that look of surprise on his face.

He suddenly blinked his eyes once, the look of surprise now gone. He then looked me over, a different expression taking over his face. One that I could not really understand, but I didn't feel nervous either.

His eyes finally met my own again, and he took the last two steps towards me, at a slow pace, until he was towering over me. I had to lift my head slightly to look up at him, to see his face.

I nearly gasped at the look in his eyes. They held... more of a sharpness to them, almost calculating, and it looked like there was calmness behind them too.

He slightly titled his head, as if he was studying me. I couldn't stop the change of color across my face, and I was sure it wasn't the cold that caused it.

Then I saw him lift one of his hands, and I watched it move to the side of my face. His hand then turned upward and the tip of his fingers, I realized, grazed at the ends of my now short hair. He focused his eyes on his actions, repeating it... I couldn't ask him what he was doing, although truthfully, I didn't mind it at all. I felt like I shouldn't ask. So instead, I let out a quiet sigh.

The feeling of guilt washed over me briefly, biting my bottom lip confirmed it.

"I'm sorry I worried you. I didn't mean to... I wasn't expecting anyone to bother me. You probably think that what I did was a little stupid."

He didn't stop what he was doing, neither did he look at me, but he did say, "It was stupid, Chelsea."

Before I had the chance to respond or look away, he continued, "I said it was stupid Chelsea, not that it was wrong."

I couldn't help but let out the small smile.

I heard him let out a sigh, and his fingers were still touching my hair. His gaze still intent on his actions.

"Maybe I will tell you," he said.

I slightly frowned, unsure what he was talking about.

"Tell me? About what?"

"What you have been bugging me about for the past season, Chelsea. Though, I probably won't need to, you're smart enough. You can figure it out."

I still didn't have the slightest clue to what he was talking about, and then I realized what it was; the festival, with what I saw.

He wasn't directly telling me that it was real, but it was a start, telling me that it wasn't an illusion.

It was good enough for me.

"I have your permission?" I asked him, to make sure he wouldn't change his mind.

He barely gave me a nod, and again, it was enough for me.

Even though his hand was so close to my face, it didn't touch my skin at all. I could feel a little warmth from his hand coming off of it, and a ghost-like touch, but there was no real contact.

I silently wished he would.

Before I could take my own actions, he spoke up again, "They're not the same."

"What's not the same?" Feeling baffled once again with his half thoughts being stated out loud.

The silence dragged on a little longer than before, making me feel a little nervous. He was still messing with my hair.

"Your...smiles. They're not the same anymore. They seem to be more forced, not genuine."

"Well... I know I said that I would smile more, trying to be cheerful. But it's kind of hard to when I think about those things. I really don't have a reason to smile about anything, not something that is happy anyway."

I saw his eyes blink once, his hand movements going slower, and the next words out of his mouth made my heart stop, "Then just do it for yourself."

What he said actually caused me to smile, wider then my other ones. I couldn't stop the extra moisture that developed in my eyes either. I tried to hold them back, I really did, but they came out anyway.

I let out a little laugh instead, though it came out like a soft sniffle.

His hand movements suddenly stopped and then he bought his gaze to me, looking at my whole face now. I thought he would be annoyed, maybe even frown a little for crying so much in one day. To my surprise, they still held that same calculating look, though he seemed to be deeper in thought, more so then before. I felt my face become a little hotter.

Before I could further ponder about his odd, although somewhat nice, behavior, I felt a different type of warmth on the left side of my face. It took me a moment to realize that he put his hand, an open palm, against my cheek. It took up half of my face, and I could feel the rough surface of his fingertips against my soft skin. I surprised myself when I realized that I was disappointed that I couldn't feel his whole hand, thanks to the gloves he wears.

I thought my heart was pumping hard enough already, oddly even doing backflips, till I felt his thumb move. The next breath didn't even leave my mouth, I held it in. His thumb had moved right under my eye, wiping away the tears I didn't get to wipe away myself.

He spoke again, his tone still as low as a whisper, "You should stop doing that. It's...annoying."

I didn't even respond, not with a nod or words. I just kept staring at him, my focus never leaving him, not even to blink. Not only that, I was trying to control my heart from beating so hard in my chest. The way he was acting was making me feel so much anxiety that I felt like I would faint.

I was so focused on controlling it that I didn't notice Vaughn's face was _very_ close to my own face. He was so close that I could feel the hot breath from his nose hit me. I could feel a shiver was about to pass through me, and it was definitely _not_ from the cold; it was difficult for me to hold it back. To add on to that, I felt like my stomach had something fluttering in it. No matter how hard I tried, it wouldn't stop and...

Without me noticing or even consenting to the action, my eyelids halfway closed, and my head began to feel light-headed. All I did was wait, wait for him to take that one tiny dive forward... and I wasn't going to protest, didn't even want to protest.

And then he stopped, making my eyes widen. His own eyes mirrored my own, though he looked confused and surprised, as if he didn't know what he was doing... was _about_ to do, it was as if realization came to him. His eyebrows arched downward a little, frowning, though I wasn't sure if it was directed at me or at himself.

I then felt his thumb slightly press down hard, still being under my eye. It made me wince in pain, as it did hurt a little.

He must have noticed my discomfort, because he quickly pulled his hand away from the side of my face, as if I burned him. I saw his hand go to his face, but he turned away from me before I could see what he was doing.

I missed the warmth that was there, that he provided. I had to try really hard, with every part of me, to contain the disappointment I felt; I wanted to sigh so badly.

Although, I thought I saw the tip of his ears turn a little pink... but it could have been the cold. Also, I could hear a little muttering coming from him, but he was talking too low for me to hear his words.

The feeling I had was gone now, the fluttering in my stomach becoming nothing but a memory, while the heartbeats went back to normal, no longer erratic.

Sometimes Vaughn is so...confusing. All he ever does _is_ confuse me. I had to hold back another sigh, one of borderline frustration.

"We should probably go inside, it's getting cold out...you felt a little cold," he finally said, I guess to break the silence. It was hard for me to determine if his tone was shaky or not, since I couldn't even see his face.

I didn't answer, just stared at his back, mostly focused on his hat. Before the familiar and uncomfortable silence could take place again, I said, surprising myself that I could manage to talk calmly and evenly, "Can I ask you something Vaughn, a favor?"

He didn't turn to face me, not that I expected him to. "Go ahead and ask," he said, his tone just as even I realized this time.

"Can you remember what I was like when I first arrived here?"

He slightly turned his head, not enough for me to see the side of his face, but enough to let me know he was listening. "I don't get what you're saying."

"I mean...tell me what you thought of me when I first arrived. Honestly."

"_Honestly_? I don't think you want me to be honest..."

"No, I do want you to be, right now. Tell me."

I heard him let out a sigh, and he still didn't turn to face me. "Well...I thought you were possibly an airhead, bubbly, too talkative, annoying, another lazy person from the city possibly, person that easily—"

"Okay now, I _get_ it," I said, feeling like my eye would twitch.

Well, _he's_ back to normal.

"Why are you asking?"

"Well...I just want you to remember that is all. That—part of me."

Even though I wasn't facing him, I could easily imagine his eyebrows arching in a certain angle, conveying confusion.

Although I made a promise to myself to smile more often, it has made me realized that I will have to be a different person too. I can't continue being the same as I am now, not if I want to stay here and figure things out. If I continue being the way I am now, almost naive, I will never be able to figure out what's going on—_why_ it's happening to me. I won't be able to help my friends.

I will have to let go of my past self, and create a new one...even if it means losing a part of myself, the part that makes me _me_. I can no longer be weak. I _will_ no longer be weak.

"_Maybe, it's for the best_." I told myself, reassuring myself that I _am_ making the right choice, squashing any doubts.

"I hope you know what you're doing," Vaughn said, waking me up from my internal conflict.

I slightly frowned at his words. The way he said it, it felt like he understood what I was doing, what I am about to do.

It took me another moment to realize that he _did_ understand, at least to me he did. It also made me realize that he wasn't arguing with me about my decision either. The idea made me smile, just a little.

"Thank you Vaughn."

He just shook his head. "Let's just go inside...I only came out to find you 'cause Lanna was worried about your whereabouts, especially since you haven't seen Denny at all."

I nodded my head in agreement, "I will go see him now."

Without wasting any more time, I walked ahead, going past Vaughn. And for some reason, I wanted to look back, at him, to see his face. But I internally shook the feeling away, still walking leisurely. As I walked, I could hear another pair of feet shuffling the sand, following me. Inside, I was smiling.

As I continued to walk, I took my red bandanna off of my head and loosely tied it around my neck, no longer needing it to hold back my hair.

The walk was silent, as expected...at least till a strange thought came to me; ideas that appeared as I thought about Vaughn's words of understanding more and more.

"_I wonder...is that what I saw within Vaughn?_"

Maybe Vaughn understands...because he has done it himself.

The more I thought about what I saw at the festival that time, the more I connected it to what I was about to do.

"_Maybe the reason I saw another Vaughn was because it is another side of him that he pushed back, locked away._" I mused to myself.

I wanted to turn around to ask Vaughn, but I resisted upon acting. If I did ask him, he would most likely not answer me, or maybe even deny it. Instead, I decided to agree with my thoughts.

"_So, if I do the same thing as him...will I end up like Vaughn?_" I asked myself.

I tried to come up with an answer for the question. But no answer came, not even when we reached the front of the Hotel.

"_I don't know, maybe I won't...or maybe I will,_" the only answer I could tell myself, one that still held a little doubt behind it.

I opened the door and walked inside, with Vaughn still following behind me, staying behind me the whole time I noticed.

"He's in that room," he said, as I saw his hand raise and point to a door.

As I headed to the door, another thought came to me, one that made me want to pursue the answer—even if it would take a long time to get it.

"_If that is true about Vaughn, I would like to know that side of him too...very much._"

* * *

**Sabrina's POV**

I turned from my seat at the table as I heard the door open. The one that walked in, I barely recognized her, I had to do a double take to make sure I was right.

"_Chelsea?_"

But...she looked different. Her hair for one was shorter, much shorter. Since her hair was shorter, the red bandanna that she always wore was now wrapped around her neck instead of holding her hair back.

Although, that wasn't all that seemed to change about her. There was—something else about her that seemed to have changed, her demeanor, possibly.

As I looked at her, I noticed that something—did change. Her eyes, for one, the expression behind them seemed to have changed a little. Usually when I see her, I see a variety of emotions, very similar to Mark's when he's happy; full of any type of emotion, happiness mostly, almost expecting a bright smile to follow behind it. But this time...something was lacking, there was something missing, not just appearance wise.

She had walked past me, only acknowledging me enough by sending a small smile my way before she approached the bed where Denny sat up; Lanna was also sitting at the edge of the bed. I didn't have the chance to see more, to see if I was imagining it or not.

Although, the second person that came in sent those confusing thoughts to the back of my mind, making me forget for the time being. Just looking at him made me nervous, making me unconsciously grip the letter in my hand tightly.

He closed the door behind him and stayed standing by the door...though his attention was focused intently on someone. I also noticed that his face seemed more—relaxed. His signature frown was there, but it didn't give the same feeling as it usually did—to not bother him. No...it felt different, too.

Denny's voice made me bring my attention towards the bed, "Hey Chelsea. You seem—different."

I saw her smile at him, just the corner of her mouth lifting, "Yeah, I cut my hair, if that is what you mean."

I saw him frown a little, a first for me to see on his face. His facial features are usually loose, showing his laid-back personality. Although it held a little confusion too.

He stared at her for a few more seconds, and it looked like he wanted to say something, make a comment, but changed his mind in the end. His frown loosened too. "Yeah. I guess it was just that. It looks nice."

"Thank you," she said with a slow nod. "And how are you feeling?"

"Besides the bruises and the thought that I will never be able to be near water again because of some phobia...just great."

His sentence was missing the sarcastic tone to it; more misery was aligned in it than anything else.

I brought my attention away from them to Vaughn, while they continued to talk quietly in the background.

"_I better ask him now, before I faint from my own nervousness._"

I quietly stood up from my seat and took hesitant steps towards him, sometimes his height intimidated me; I was very short compared to him.

I managed to stand by him, his attention still focused on them.

"_Or just on one_," my conscience uttered.

I didn't want to prove it right or wrong, so I ignored it instead.

I loosened my grip on the envelope I held in my hand, but they still felt a little sweaty.

"Um...Vaughn?" I stuttered a little, to get his attention.

He continued to stare at _them_ for a few more moments before he turned his head slightly to look at me. "Yeah?" he said just above a whisper.

I had to hold back on the frown I wanted to make, finding his tone odd. I never heard him speak that low before. I decided to think about it later.

"Well uh...I just wanted to give you this. Uh, you know, the usual. Tomorrow?"

I saw him eye the white envelope in my hand, the invitation, before he lifted his hand and gently tucked it out of my hand—since I was stuck to the spot somehow, unmoving.

He didn't even open it or reply to me. His eyes went right back to where they were, staring, not blinking at all.

My conscience's statement from before resurfaced, even though I wanted to block it out.

Curiosity got the best of me, or rather I was being forced to look to ease my conscience statement—possibly even myself.

I followed his line of vision, and his focus was in the area where Denny, Lanna, and Chelsea were. I kept looking between him and them, still tracking where his attention was held.

I wanted to believe that he was looking at them all—but I would just be fooling myself. I could tell, almost feel it subconsciously, that he was just looking at one person. There was no need for any evidence to prove who.

My own face loosened, making me wonder about many things.

"_Now is not the time_," I told myself.

It took a lot of my energy to bring my facial features back to normal, and to look back at Vaughn. He was still staring.

"Will you be able to come?" I asked him again.

He didn't even look at me when he said, in that same low voice, "I'll think about it. So, maybe."

I nodded my head at him once, not commenting on his answer, out loud anyway.

I turned to where the trio was and quietly said my goodbyes before I left.

* * *

I stared back at the mirror, something I have been doing for at least the past hour, trying to come to my own decision.

I lifted one of my hands and tenderly stroked my hair, my long hair. My other hand held a pair of scissors, and I felt it shake nervously.

For the past hour, I was thinking about why Vaughn was like that, _staring_ at her.

The only conclusion I could come up with, was that it had something to do with her hair. Was it the length? The way she now looked with it cut short? Was there some meaning behind it?

I didn't know.

With so many ideas and questions going through my head, it was hard for me to think. But, in the end, I just concluded that he possibly has a liking for short hair.

And that is how I found myself to be in this situation.

A light tap on the closed bathroom door, coming from the other side, took me out of my silent problem.

"Sabrina? Is everything alright in there? You have been inside for quite some time now," my father said from the other side, though it was missing the concern behind it.

Even when he should be worried, he still manages to try to keep up with appearances.

"I am fine father, I assure you. I am just—taking my time."

"If you say so. Don't tire yourself out though."

He then left, his sharp footsteps echoing outside the door.

I stared at my reflection in the mirror again, and I carefully lifted my shaking hand towards my hair; the scissors open and in position.

"_Just a quick snip and it'll be over. I will not even feel a thing—in fact it is painless._"

I thought telling myself that would lessen the nervous shaking in my hand, but it didn't. Instead, my hand began to feel very warm, beginning to sweat.

My other hand was gripped to my hair, a large piece of it, to keep it in place. I gripped it harder, hoping it would eliminate the uneasy feeling in my other hand—it didn't.

I forced my fingers to slightly close the scissors. If I closed it just a little more, it would cut off a large chunk of my hair.

I swear my hand felt like it became a vibrator. It just would not steady itself.

With a sigh, my hand still shaking a little, I dropped the scissors, and it fell into the sink; the metal part making a clinking sound. Using that same shaky hand, I silently stroked my hair, though I felt disappointment pass through me.

"_I couldn't even do it...how am I supposed to..._"

Why...can't I be looked at in the same way?

* * *

**Vaughn's POV**

_Tonight, it was different._

_It started the same, with the brittle and dry grass along with the familiar Harvest Goddess Lake, and the unnatural darkness. This time, when I approached the lake, she was already sinking within it. However, unlike the many other times I had this dream, she wasn't struggling._

_Her eyes were closed, her arms by her side, it was as if she was at peace with herself, and she would continue to sink further into the eternal darkness; although it looked like she was falling at a slower pace. She wasn't fighting the inevitable._

_She didn't struggle._

_She didn't fight for air._

_She didn't try opening her mouth, to call for help._

_She gave in to the cold watery tomb, sinking deeper._

_And that...was troubling me._

**_TO BE CONTINUED…_**

* * *

**AUTHOR'S COMMENTS/NOTES**

* * *

**(1)** _Fishing god_: Based on an event concerning Denny, he does mention the Fishing god quite a few times in the game. I don't know if he believes in the Harvest God(dess), but he does believe in the Fishing god. To me, it was natural for him to be praying to the FG.

**(2)** _Prescription_: Truthfully, I'm not sure if there is a drug for phobia's of any kind. However, since some phobias are eerily similar to having, or basically are, anxiety/panic attacks, there should be special type of prescriptions for such a thing- just not for a particular phobia. So, since I didn't feel like doing research on this topic, I'm only taking an intelligent guess here.

**(3)** _...cut her hair_: For those of you that don't understand the meaning behind it, this is what I have read on the topic online, "Because it's a Japanese tradition, when a girl decides to change, she cuts her hair as a symbol of her choice." Funny, I found it while watching a YouTube video for a game. I didn't get to go to the library to read on it, but here are some references that you might recognize- from a few media(s).

**_- Final Fantasy IX:_** If you are a gamer, in this game, one of the characters cuts her hair as a promise to herself that she would still be the 'same' no matter what happens to herself (she would change for the better, for her kingdom). The character was Garnet, Princess Garnet (AKA Dagger later in the game).

**_- Naruto:_** If you have ever heard of the manga/anime series, I'm sure you remember the scene concerning Sakura, when she cut her hair. Her promise, if I remember correctly, was to no longer be weak/a burden towards her team. I understand that Ino cut her hair as well, but she cut her hair under different circumstances and more because of...scorn, not for herself. If you look at the Naruto Shippuden series, notice that Sakura has kept her hair short, telling those around her, and herself, that she plans to keep that promise. While Ino, on the other hand, grew her hair back.

Even if you don't focus on Japanese culture, and focus on the concept itself and/or other cultures- many women don't cut their hair for various reasons. Something a friend of mine said to me once was (not in exact words), "A woman's hair is like her crown. She wears it proudly and takes care of it with pride. If she doesn't take care of it or even cuts it, she has lost her crown. Just like a queen, if she loses it, it had to be for a good reason." Well...maybe she was on to something...or we seriously think too much due to boredom.

* * *

[**POLL IS STILL UP!**] _*Sighs*_ I could have put this up a few days ago, but you know, life keeps me busy most of the time. Actually, you could have had this on December 1st, but thanks to an incident concerning my new-ish laptop that is only a few months old, it made me lose 45k (45,000) words. Yes, you read that right. It lost 45,000 words—**forty-five thousand words**—**_gone_**. Not 1,000, not 5,000, heck, not even 10,000 words—45,000 words. I ranted about it in my LiveJournal, and I don't want that feeling of rage to come back to me right now...believe me, I still have the urge to break it myself and then go bother someone else in a very-not-nice way—purposely. And yeah, it happened in November- during NaNoWriMo- something I have done for years now...**_not fun_**. _Hmph_. Anyway, despite me _rewriting_ this chapter, this was one of the chapters I was looking forward to writing—doesn't mean I enjoyed writing it over, but whatever.

Moving on, yes, Vaughn did not take action, he did not take that 'final' step. And ugh, this chapter makes me feel all fluffy, it's too much for me to take! Seriously, I think I made him a little too sappy, maybe, I don't know. Ugh, he's hard to deal with sometimes, he-no-listen to me anymore! It's like, he does whatever he wants now! He does not follow the script I gave him (*rageface*)! He was supposed to do something else, but it didn't work out- or rather he didn't want to do it. Anyway, for those of you that expected it, just hang on a little longer, especially for the Winter chapters. As this was the last chapter for Fall.

As for Chelsea's new look, if you are having a hard time imagining what she looks like with short hair—think of Sara (Sarah) from Harvest Moon 3. Seriously, Chelsea is like a replica of her. I mean, whoa, she looks **_exactly_** like her. Bandana and all- it's kind of creepy...

As for Denny, yeah, I didn't give him major bruises purposely. I didn't want him damaged physically, no, I wanted him damaged mentally. If you are surprised with him cursing a little, minor ones like 'damn' and 'hell', well, he's not exactly beside himself. His mind is out of it, therefore, his personality would be out of whack too. With him being in the state that he is in, Vaughn will no longer be getting advice from him or have those moments where he is being supportive. No more free rides for him. Denny himself will most likely not be the same, for quite some time. He's going to not be the happy optimistic guy that you know and love. He'll be...depressing, mostly. Not a Vaughn depressing either, just depressing. Although, since I have to rewrite stuff again... Anyway, for those of you curious about Kuu...well, you'll just have to wait and see concerning him. Oh yes, and the last chapter was supposed to be a dream for Denny. So that explains his sudden awakening. And yes, it did have something to do with triggering his fear of water now, at least one of things that did it. As for the red he saw in Dr. Trent's hand—what do you think it was? If the cup was clear, and there was nothing but water inside of it—what could it have been that he saw through his eye, or rather, in his mind?

Beginning next chapter, Winter begins. And a lot of stuff happens in winter. Examples? Well, there is (not in any particular order); Shea's Birthday, Sabrina's Birthday, Mark's Birthday, Winter Thanksgiving (really is Valentine's Day; girls give to boys xP), Starry Night Festival/dinner, something concerning Will and Vaughn (quite a few chapters that one will be most likely be), Vaughn and Chelsea blah blah some other bad junk happens and...oh yeah, one more filler, being the last one of the bunch. Might have forgotten to mention one or two things, but I think I should keep them to myself. Although, if it wasn't for my laptop being retarded, you would have read quite a few of these already.

What else? Right, once again, I am set back. This time, it was because of a stupid thing that happened with my laptop, setting me back to this chapter instead of being way ahead. I could have been really close to finishing this story, but again, I am set back. Jeez, this bad luck with laptops needs to stop- seriously... And...this story is officially three years old, back in September anyway. Most likely I won't have this done by the end of December or even January like I hoped (could have been though)...maybe before summer comes along though—hopefully. I have to rewrite those...now ~34,000 words again, try to gain them back. *Sigh* stupid laptop...!

As for that comment in the beginning of the chapter, seriously, what is that? I don't want that thing there, it's an eyesore. Seriously, it's a distraction to my eyes, whether I am reading and/or reviewing my own stuff. If I wanted to share whatever I was reading, I would email it to that person, not tweet it. I think some people have gone overboard with it. Well, at least I can AdBlock it. That is all for now, until next time!

**_THANK YOU ALL FOR REVIEWING (And to those that read anonymously)!_**

*I need to seriously put a little time on the side to read and reply to all reviews that I have received. I will get them…eventually.


	30. Chapter 29, Destroying an Angel

**Chapter 29, Destroying an Angel**

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**WINTER 2TH - SUNDAY**

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**Shea's POV**

The sky still dark, but it morning, I can tell. Early good. Give Shea long time to hunt. I look at Wada, "I ready to hunt."

Wada nod head from near pot, sit on floor by it. "Wada...too." He lift hand and point out window. "Cold?" he asked.

"Shea go see," I said, opening the door and step outside, door close behind me.

Little white stuff fall from sky, slowly. The white stuff stick to ground. I open mouth and stick tongue out to taste it. One fall in mouth. I taste nothing, like water. No taste, but wet like water. I close mouth and breathe out; smoke come out mouth. I now feel cold around me. It cold...really cold. I turn and go in home again.

"It really cold." I tell Wada.

Wada lift pot and put on floor. Wada start to make fire. "Shea...first."

I nod head, I understand Wada. I hunt first.

"Shea be back later."

Wada nod head, and I leave again to start hunt.

To hunt, I be quiet and quick, or no food. I take knife off belt and walk to near tree. I no trouble getting in tree, on big branch in tree. I look around to find food, on land or in water. I see small fish in water swimming. Fish could be big, but water make hard to see.

"_Might hard to find food in cold. Many animals hate cold._"

I and Wada need real food, a animal. I know no bear. Bear gone in winter...

"_Animal be small, maybe. No bear, no big feast._"

I jump to another tree, bigger tree. I look again...same, no different. I jump again, and search again. I keep going, jump and search, again and again. And still no food.

"_Shea hope no lot of time pass before Shea find food._"

I jump again, but when I jump- I think I see something before. I jump back to other tree and look. I tilt head to side, because I see small box on ground?

"_Why small box out here?_"

I jump down from tree big branch. I fine when land on ground. I careful when walk to small box, knife out and ready.

When I close, box no move or anything bad. I lower knife, careful still. I still for a few seconds, box still no do bad thing or anything.

I put knife away, now sure box no bad. I lift box with two hands, and shake a little. I hear something inside. I look at box again. I confused...then a memory of Mark saying something about presents long time ago.

"_Mark say present come in a box, a pretty box._"

Box was pretty, with paper cover it all. A paper in color...red, I think? I still confused. What do with box?

"_Shea think Mark say look on box for who box for...?_"

I look on box, and I see smaller paper on string on box. I look, and see a small picture of...Chelsea? I think picture of Chelsea—very small.

"_Box for Chelsea? But...why box out here if for Chelsea?_"

I try to think of what else Mark say that one time.

Maybe—Mark say look on box to see who box _from_. I nod head at idea. Maybe box for me and Chelsea leave here! But...why give I box?

"_Maybe today special day?_"

I scratch head, not sure how today special.

"_What today?_"

I put box under arm and count on fingers...a few times, many days pass.

"_Oh! Today the day Wada found me! My—'birthday' Mark say once._"

Chelsea give gift for birthday? Wow!

I look at box again, to try open. I take paper off and then open?

I pull at paper a little, it rip-box fine. I keep pulling until all paper off. I see lid for box and open it, feeling happy and wonder what inside. Inside was—food!

I take it out of box and box fall to ground. The food was—a mushroom, I think. Mushroom strange color. Same color like white stuff fall from sky.

I see mushroom like color once, but animals no eat it. When no animals eat it, it mean bad...

Why Chelsea give I bad mushroom? Maybe...not bad? Maybe another mushroom and not bad one? Safe to eat?

"_Don't know... Seem bad idea to eat, could be bad mushroom_," voice in head said.

"_But Chelsea not bad person. Chelsea really nice, give food to Shea sometime._"

Voice in head say nothing.

"_Voice wrong. Chelsea no mean._"

I had two in my hand, they stuck. Maybe white because of stuff from sky fall on it? Maybe stuck on it, and Chelsea got it not long ago?

Make sense to I.

I pull one off. I take one small bite...taste not bad! I eat it all fast. Good energy to hunt for bigger food. Maybe today lucky!

"_Eat other later._"

I put mushroom back in box. Will come back later to get box. I hunt now. I take knife off belt again, and jump back into tree to hunt.

"_Shea still hunt. Search for very long time._"

The air still cold, but no very cold like early. A little warm now, no like early, and sun higher in sky, but white stuff still fall from sky.

"_Still no big food. Shea might get small fish instead._"

I sad, no big meal on special day.

I about to give up, but I hear loud sound—a snort, I think, almost like it. I look again, and I smile.

"_A—boar!_"

Mark said name of animal when I ask him one time. Boar a little small, but big enough to have big feast! Wada will be happy!

Boar busy look for food to eat too. I quiet when jump to ground. But I feel—nervous, head feel hot and water on forehead.

"_Shea feel—weird. Why nervous? I hunt boar before._"

Maybe hungry? No eat in long time make I nervous? Maybe...?

I shake head. No think now! Act now, think later!

I quiet, take many step behind boar, no sound. Stomach feel like sink in, and hurt a little.

"_Shea be __really__ hungry if stomach hurt._"

I no pay attention, and make sound when step on white stuff on ground, made a bad _crunch_ sound. Boar turn head, and I dive forward to bring knife down on boar back...but boar fast. Boar move before knife hit back. Knife hit ground instead. I stand and pull knife out of ground, but I almost fall.

"_Why world moving fast?_"

I shake head and world no move like before again.

Boar now mad. Boar stomp on ground and blew out nose loud, making the white stuff move away. Boar ran at me, but I move before it hit me. I now behind boar again. I about to strike...but knife fall out of hand. Hand feel froze, and fingers too...and stomach hurt real bad now!

"_Shea feel sick!_"

I fall to ground and hold stomach. Stomach feel like it eating self! Eating me! I want to vomit, but no can!

I in big pain, but boar still mad...very mad at I.

I put one hand on ground and push up. I ignore pain and the shake my arm did, making me want to fall. I barely stand before boar run at I—I no move in time.

Boar hit me in stomach, I feel more pain—so much pain. I open mouth, but spit come out instead of word. Back hit tree behind I, and mouth taste funny, bitter—_nasty_.

I put hand on stomach and other hand on tree, so I try stand again. I then cough, a lot. I feel like something in stomach rise.

Boar still mad and stomp again. I no can take another blow, I can't! I weak to move or fight.

I lean on tree and eyes feel heavy. I weak to stand too. Animal will hurt me...

"_Shea no what to do..._"

I wait for the animal to attack again, and try move away before attack.

A loud growl behind tree _I_ on made I stop thinking and boar stop stomping. The other animal that made growl noise jump from behind tree and stop front of boar. Other animal growl again, teeth show. Boar no fight back, turn and run away from larger animal.

I no see clearly what animal it is...hope no attack I.

I slide down tree, I no stay awake long...feel so tired.

And stomach hurt worse. Pain so bad I rest on cold ground, on back, and hold stomach, I look up at sky. I force stay up, no sleep now...

Animal, _big_ animal, face block sky. I no see well, eyes heavy and everything no clear. I see one thing...two yellow dots...

"_Not dots..._"

It big black cat.

I shake, no cold...maybe I scare and sick too.

Big black cat stare, but no hurt I.

"Big cat...friend...go...help?"

Big black cat still stare and I shake more. Stomach hurt so bad!

Big cat finally move, and I see cat pick up I knife with teeth—and run through tree with it.

I sigh, hope big cat get help...or I no here anymore.

I—don't want be alone...not in the cold...hungry...and in pain.

"_Someone help Shea._"

* * *

**Wada's Scene _(1)_**

Wada was busy sharpening a spear, getting ready for his own hunting travels whenever Shea returned. Although, Shea was taking a little longer than usual. In fact, a lot longer than usual.

Wada gently shook his head. Sometimes Shea still acted like a pupil, despite how much training he had received in the past.

An unfamiliar noise at the door halted his actions of sharpening. His hand still tight on the spear while the other was outstretched towards the tip, a sharpener.

He stayed perfectly still, waiting for whoever was outside to make themselves known. By either in a welcoming manner or making noise accidentally to let _him_ stop them.

The noise came again. This time, he was able to identify it as a scratching sound against wood.

He dropped the knife sharpener and stood up while holding the spear with both hands.

Before he could take any steps towards the door, to open it quietly, it opened itself. He aimed his spear towards the area where the door was, still being far from it.

He didn't expect a black jaguar to be at the door.

He held his spear tighter and glared at the intruder at the door. Survival instincts telling him to not let it out of his sight.

Although, to his surprise, the animal didn't attack him yet. In fact, it was quietly sitting by the door, and there was something in its mouth. Wada couldn't see what it was—until the jaguar put it down on the ground.

Wada didn't take his eyes off of the jaguar to look at the item it put down. Waiting for it to take any movement that would justify him to attack it, for invading him inside of his own home.

The jaguar didn't take any further steps inside of his home. It stayed seated, with only its tail moving like a snake upright, and quietly watching Wada with its own dark yellow-green eyes.

Wada gave it another look before he softly drifted his eyes to the object it put on the floor. It didn't take him long to figure out that it was Shea's hunting knife. His eyebrows furrowed together, baffled. It made him wonder how it came upon his hunting knife, and _why_ it had it.

He brought his hard gaze back to the jaguar and held his spear higher in the offense.

The creature continued to stare, unmoved and not offended by Wada's silent threat.

Wada found it odd that it wasn't reacting at all, making him feel more baffled then before . His thoughts then trailed off to how the knife wasn't covered in blood. It was a good start...but it worried him at the same time. If there wasn't anything on it, Shea either _didn't_ kill anything yet or he wiped it clean _after_ killing something.

Both scenarios were possible, but neither was good if he didn't have his hunting knife—the only protection he brought with him.

He didn't know why the jaguar was still sitting there, but it was obvious at this point that it didn't want to hurt him in any form.

But what did it want?

Maybe, he thought, it wanted him to...follow it?

Wada lowered his spear, indicating to the animal that he didn't find it as a threat—at the moment.

He took cautious and slow steps towards the large feline, spear still in hand, and it stayed sited until he was close enough. At a certain distance, it stood on all four and took a few strides away from his home. It stopped by a tree and turned its head to look at Wada—waiting for him to follow, as Wada somewhat concluded. Wada picked up Shea's knife and strapped it to his own waist.

Since it was now obvious that he wanted him to follow, Wada quicken his pace. If an animal, a very large and dangerous one at that, was trying to take him somewhere; it had to be _very_ important. He hasten his steps even more, almost into a run.

Not too long later, after running for a while and him getting fatigue a little, the jaguar finally stopped. Once again, the jaguar sat down, but its gaze was on something else. After Wada caught his breath, he then looked in the same direction. He immediately dropped his spear in alarm and worry, running over to Shea—who was still on the ground. Shea was shaking constantly and his body was acting weird. His leg kicking at nothing at odd times.

Wada was careful to avoid his odd kicks and bent down to Shea's level. Shea hands were laid on his stomach, and he was somewhat hugging himself, as if to keep himself warm and safe from his surroundings.

Silently, Wada helped Shea up to his feet. He let Shea put an arm around his neck for support, while he put one around Shea to keep him standing upright. Before he forgot, he took Shea's hunting knife off of his belt and stuck it through Shea's belt.

Wada already knew that something was _really_ wrong with Shea. He could _sense_ that something was wrong with him...something _really_ bad. It couldn't have been a hunting accident, there was little indication of that...although a little of the snow covered some tracks, erasing anything that occurred prior to his arrival.

Shea needed help, someone to take a thorough look at him. Someone that could understand what was going on with his odd behavior.

Wada knew just the person to go to.

He carefully coaxed Shea to walk as much as he could. They needed to leave the thick part of the jungle and find the trail to the bridge.

* * *

**Dr. Trent's POV**

I ate the last bit of my small meal before I put the chopsticks down, while still looking at my notes that rested on the table. Although, it was hard for me to concentrate. My mind still, more than occasionally, was thinking about Denny's situation, his condition.

"_I have never felt so useless to someone before._"

His situation really bothered me, someone I _couldn't_ help—not in any helpful way. All I could do was diagnose him to the best of abilities...but I can't do anything to heal him.

My eyes subconsciously trailed to the open medical book on the table, next to my written notes. The medical book explained the prescriptions for various psychological problems...one that could help Denny's issue.

"_You know very well that you can't prescribe that type of medication. Only a psychiatrist can do it. If you do it, you can get into some serious legal issues...and you can have your license revoked too_," my conscience uttered, as it did before.

I slid a hand down my face before letting out a sigh. "_I know what the consequences are, but it's not right that I can't help him. It's worse that he refuses to go see one._"

"_And that is __his__ choice, __not__ yours._"

"_I know that...doesn't mean I have to like his decision._"

I sighed as I stood up while holding my hot cup of milk. I laid my tip for the service on the table and put my notes inside of the book before I closed it. I put it under my free arm, took a sip of my drink, and slid my chair with my foot to its proper position under the table.

The Cafe wasn't crowded, as expected during the early noon hours—many might be at the Diner at this time.

I headed towards the exit doors, my thoughts all over the place on different topics, but still lingering about Denny's situation.

I exit the Cafe, ready to head to the Hotel for some much needed rest, hopefully to ease my mind. However, I was startled, coming to an abrupt stop, when a _wild man_ jumped out of nowhere. It made me drop my book and drink, notes scattering to the snowy ground, ruined most likely by my drink.

It took me a few moments to realize the wild man was—Wada, if I remember the name right. I sighed in relief. "Um, hey Wada. Is there something I can do for you?"

He said nothing.

I know the man has a hard time talking, and when he does, he says very little.

He caught me by surprise again when he held on to my coat sleeve and tugged. I tried to pull my arm back, but he was being _very_ persistent. He kept pulling and I just followed his tugging.

He kept pulling me along the trail until we reached the bridge that would lead to the jungle.

"No-Now wait just a minute! What is this about?" I almost demanded.

I go to the jungle from time to time, but I usually go there due to my own will and I know the reasons behind it. He, on the other hand, hasn't given me a reason for dragging me along.

He finally let go of my sleeve at the entrance of the bridge. Before I could ask him again concerning his reasoning, he lifted a hand and pointed. I turned my head to follow his silent pointing. From my distance, I could see Shea on the other side...leaning against a tree it looked like. But he wasn't leaning against it casually or in any manner that would tell me that he was comfortable. In fact, he looked a little pale, and his hands were holding his stomach. There were other signs that told me he wasn't himself, and definitely not ok health wise.

My doctor persona kicked in, making me run across the bridge to where he was. I didn't have my medical bag, but I could still do the basics for a checkup.

I laid the back of my hand against his forehead. He was a little warm, though the cold air could have cooled him down if he was hot.

I then looked at his pupils, to see if any changes occurred there. He looked fine there as well.

"_Maybe he just has a bad stomach ache._"

It wasn't a final conclusion since all I did was a very basic lookover of him. It wasn't really a professional judgment.

I helped him stand up and lent him myself to lean on. He was a little heavier than I thought, he nearly toppled me over. Luckily Wada came over to help, holding him up from the other side of him.

We helped him across the bridge, and I felt like he was becoming heavier with each step we took. The Hotel wasn't too far at least.

When we did finally reach it, I directed Wada to take him to an empty room—telling the owner at the desk that I'll do the paperwork later. With further instructions I gave him, Shea was put on the bed. Shea was visibly shaking now, and he was hugging himself as if he was cold.

I turned to look at Wada, "Did he eat anything?"

"...Maybe...Hunting..." Wada said.

I had to try to understand what he said, adding words in-between his few.

"He could have eaten something while hunting?" I asked him.

He nodded in the affirmative.

"I can't make an accurate diagnose unless I know exactly what he ate. Whatever he ate could be causing damage inside of his body. You understand? I need you to find out _what_ he ate in order for me to help him."

He stood there for a moment, hopefully understanding my words. Not too long after, he turned and left the room—with a look of determination I noticed. It made me sigh in relief.

"_I hope he finds what it is, more so if it was something dangerous he ate. If it was, there might be a certain timeframe before any permanent damage can take place...or will take place if I don't help him in time._"

I concentrated my focus to Shea, noticing that he had ceased shaking altogether. "_I hope that whatever is causing him pain isn't serious._"

My mind lingered to the times I have traveled throughout the jungle, trying to think of what he could have eaten. The more I thought about it, the more I realized how impossible it would be for me to figure out what it was. There were too many possibilities.

I was brought back to reality when I heard Shea mutter nonsense quietly. Speaking words in a language, if it was in fact one, that I never heard of. At the same time, I noticed he was looking around the room, his expression almost held _confusion_.

"Shea? Are you okay?"

His focused went to me and his expression changed into one that looked angry. His mouth moved, almost making me miss the single word he said, "Monster..."

"_Monster? What is he—_"

His sudden movement forced me to move away from the bed. He had rolled off the bed, but landed on his feet. He had also taken his knife out of his belt just as swiftly. He bared his teeth and he shouted, "Back monster!"

I didn't like the sound of that. The feeling in my gut wasn't making me feel any better.

My worry doubled when he aimed his knife at me, his stance offensive.

"_This isn't good..._"

I put up my hands, trying to let him know that I wasn't a threat to him in _any_ way.

"_First Denny and now Shea. It's like __everybody__ is trying to kill me._"

My thoughts were halted when he came closer and swung—I feel backwards— making his knife swipe thin air.

"Wait! I am not a—"

He took another swing, ignoring my words. Luck was with me again, as I managed to dodge that one. The room wasn't that big, the best tactic for me to take was to leave it—_now_.

The only door in the room was behind me. I didn't hesitate to bolt towards it. Unfortunately for me, Shea is _much_ quicker than me. He beat me to the door, and he swung his knife again. I barely moved back in time—he had cut a line across my white coat. I looked down to see if he cut through it, touching my skin. To my silent relief, his knife didn't hit my skin.

As I looked back up, he was already taking another swing—I tripped backwards, falling to the floor on my bottom. He missed again, and I took that opportunity to move around him. Just as I stood up and opened the door, he was facing me again, and thrust his knife forward. I halfway closed the door, making his knife hit wood—the knife not far from my face. Close enough that I could see my fear reflecting off of its surface.

Shea was really determined to kill me. Talking to him, at this moment, was out of the question.

But I am a doctor, a healer, _not_ a fighter. The only thing I can do is dodge and _run_.

I tried to close the door fully and then hold the doorknob to prevent him from leaving the room. But he used his free hand to grip the wooden door, pulling it back. He was _a lot_ stronger then he looked.

It became a game of tug-of-war between us, him pulling it to try to get out and me trying to close it so he couldn't get out.

My luck ran out when his patience of the game wore off. I saw him lift his knife and bring it down. In reaction, I had let go of the door, making his knife scrap the doorknob, where my hand was at a mere second ago.

Since there was now no force on the door from my side, the door had swung inward to his side—knocking him backwards to the floor. Another gate of opportunity for me to escape before he made his next move.

I hightailed out of the Hotel. I never knew that I could move that fast. Then again, when nothing but adrenaline and fear are running through my body, I could probably do many things.

The chilly air and the light fluttering of snow greeted me, but my focus was more on the door of the Hotel. Waiting for him to come out, to follow behind me, with that weapon of his.

I moved as far away as I could from the door, quickly looking around to see if there was anybody around that could assist me.

The path was clear.

I had two choices, wait for him or run along to find someone that could help me.

It wasn't a difficult choice.

I didn't wait for him to come out. I fled down the path, taking a right, heading towards the area where Chelsea's home and the meadow was. I felt like I was running blindly, all I could see was the snowflakes blowing against me.

There still wasn't a single person on the path.

I was about to make a turn to exit West Town, hopefully to reach Mark's ranch to see if he could help me, but the sudden appearance of _him_ dropping out of nowhere stopped me.

I wasn't given any time to react to his sudden appearance. This time when he slashed it across—it struck. The only thing I managed to do was lift my hand in defense, making him leave a deep cut in the palm of my hand. Somewhere in the back of my mind, between the stinging of the wound and the newfound pain I felt, I had to wonder, "_Was staying really worth it?_"

I had fallen again, but this time I meant to. I used my other hand to grip my freely bleeding hand, trying to stop the flow. Never mind the possible germs it could have picked up from the blade itself.

Once again, I tried to reason with him. Even though I knew it was useless, that something in his mind had to be preventing him from realizing what he was doing was wrong. Based on his aggressive actions towards me and that one word he said, he had to be under some sort of delusion.

"Shea! It's me, Dr. Trent! I am a friend, not a threat!"

The blade in his hand turned in his fingers; him ignoring both my words and the new red color on its surface—as if it belonged there. His eyebrows didn't loosen, neither did the fire in his eyes.

I swallowed the sudden lump that developed in my throat. At that moment, I knew that my luck just ran out.

"Shea?" a voice from behind him said.

I looked around Shea, and the blue cap gave away who it was.

Before I could explain to Mark that Shea wasn't beside himself at the moment, Shea's attention went to him. I could tell by his unchanged expression that he saw Mark as a threat as well.

"Look out!" I yelled instead, just as Shea swung his knife at him.

Mark, most likely more nimble on his feet then me, moved out of the way in time. The look of surprise on his face didn't escape me. I wouldn't blame him; I was the same way when he attacked me.

"Mark, Shea isn't himself at the moment! I think he is under some sort of delusion. He thinks we're enemies!" I exclaimed from my spot, still on the ground holding onto my bloody hand.

Shea was now releasing multiply fury attacks at Mark. Mark was dodging them, but mostly due to luck then any fighting skills he has.

"I can see _that_! What do I do to snap him out of it!" Mark shouted back, dodging another swing of Shea's.

I looked behind me, where the bridge was that would lead to the jungle, but I didn't see Wada coming across it.

I don't know what to do, what he should do.

"I guess try to subdue him!" I suggested lamely, looking back at them.

Shea took another swing, and this time Mark pushed him back while he knife was down for that one second. While Shea was trying to regain his bearings, Mark had reached a hand behind his back, reaching inside of his rucksack. I didn't see what he took out until it was in front of him, gripped in both hands. It was his hammer, and it was rather large at the head. As big as his head.

He held it with defense in mind. "Shea, I don't want to hurt you. Drop the knife please, or I have no choice but to fight back."

In answer, Shea swung his knife again. Mark used the handle of his hammer to block the movement, and he pushed him back again. His words would have struck home if Shea wasn't out of it.

"_I told him to not reason with him, it'll just fall on death ears. His mind is...wait...something he ate had to cause the delusion! What is edible that is in the jungle that could cause a delusion?_"

"_What if it wasn't something that grows in the jungle?_"

"_That's not the point! The point is that the possibilities on what it could be narrows it down tremendously. Overall, it has to be something that grows on the island. Something that is edible and it causes delusions when eaten, along with severe stomach pains..._"

The clanging of stone on metal halted my pondering. Mark almost didn't block his attack that time, but the size of the head of the hammer saved him. Mark pushed him back again, with more force than the previous times. He pointed the head of his hammer at Shea, "Shea, _please_ put it down. I'm your friend, and I don't want to resort to hurting you."

I let go of my hand, no longer bleeding as badly as before. Without taking my eyes off of them, I found the torn fabric that Shea cut through before and ripped it. I used it as a bandage for my hand, until I could properly wrap it later.

Shea was staring at Mark, his knife still held up, ready to strike again when needed. Mark still standing on guard as well.

Their staring contest was broken when someone else came along on the path, walking past me.

They both turned their heads towards her, Chelsea.

She stopped on the path, looking from one to the other. "What's going on here?"

My brain restarted, realizing the danger she just brought upon herself. Mark and I opened our mouths at the same time, no words left my mouth, but Mark shouted, just as Shea leapt towards her, "Chelsea move!"

Shea had startled her, with his quick movement, making her fall backwards to the ground. From her position on the ground, she looked up at him—and Shea was aiming down with his knife. She stared at him with wide eyes, fixated to the spot.

Next thing I heard, was a loud sharp sound—breaking the silence around us. It was the only sound I heard. Any other sound was toned down compared to that sound—that horrifying cracking sound. A sound I am familiar with due to my field.

The sound of bones breaking.

My eyes finally caught up with the sound. Matching the current scenario with the sound I heard a moment ago.

Mark was standing right next to Shea, his hammer was aimed towards the lower portion of his body—he slammed his hammer into Shea's leg, most likely breaking it if the cracking noise indicated anything.

Chelsea was staring at him now, her eyes large and wide, more than shock reflected off of them. I'm positive that my own expression mirrored hers.

And like a collapsing building, Shea fell down onto his knees—shaking I noticed; his knife casted on the ground forgotten, and he had a hand over his stomach again. I could hear a sputtering noise coming from him, his throat, and it was getting louder, until it became more of a gurgling sound.

That gurgling noise turned into a gagging noise, and red spewed out his mouth. The red being blood.

That _definitely_ wasn't good.

"Goddess Mark! What did you do to him?" Chelsea exclaimed, obviously worried. She had moved away before Shea could vomit his blood on her. Mark on the other hand was just staring, it was hard to tell what the exact reason was.

I was already advancing towards Shea, my doctor training resurfacing, not caring if he was still a danger or not—he needed my help, and fast.

Some of the snow in front of him was no longer pure, now stained in red, very different from the rest, a flaw.

He was convulsing now, surprising me that he managed to stay on his knees despite it.

"Help me get him back to the Hotel," I directed towards Mark as I took one side of Shea, ignoring his constant shaking (along with his saliva dripping blood droplets on him), getting him to stand as much as he could.

Whatever trance Mark was in, he snapped out of it and helped me haul Shea to his feet—we had to mostly drag him along on the path.

I kept repeating along the way that we had to hurry. There was no need to explain why. His violent attacks and recent sickness gave enough reasons for us to process.

We reached the Hotel in a short time. I directed Mark where to go with him, and we quickly helped him onto the bed. Shea was still shuttering.

After we made him as comfortable as possible, I examined his eyes. His pupils were dilated, and I knew that he was going into shock. In this case, that was a good thing...or maybe it would make his undiagnosed illness worse.

With a wave of my hand, I shooed Mark out of the room. Before I heard the door close, I already lowered my eyes to Shea's leg, where Mark struck it with his hammer. The bruises were already turning to a dark reddish color. I sighed in relief after looking it over, glad that it wasn't a compound fracture. I lightly squeezed the upper calf of the leg, seeing if one of the leg bones broke. Hard to tell with all the muscles underneath the skin, but I had to try. Something shifted under my fingers, it definitely wasn't the muscles, as they were as stiff as a dead body under rigor mortis.

"_I will have to do an x-ray scan later...if there is a later for him._"

I looked towards the door, still waiting for Wada to return. The door didn't budge. I started to mentally process the symptoms Shea displayed thus far.

"_Delusions, vomiting of blood, severe stomach pains, and uncontrollable shaking, thus far. The vomiting I'm the most worried about...what could he have eaten?_"

Sitting in this room wasn't going to help me or him either. Leaving him alone may not be the wisest of choice, but my medical books were in my room. Since he lived in the jungle, there was a chance, possibly a slim one, that he ate something from there. I looked over Shea once more, and he looked hotter than before, his skin was literally turning a darker color, almost red.

"_He's burning up!_"

But if I waste time cooling him down, his symptoms will get worse, and it may hit _that_ point. The point where it is too late to give him anything...

I felt beads of sweat roll down my forehead. I had no choice but to leave him, for now. I left the room without looking back, before I could change my mind. The lobby wasn't empty. Chelsea and Mark were there, talking to each other. Chelsea's back was to me, but Mark look agitated.

"_You would be too if he struck your own friend with a large hammer_," my conscience whispered to me.

I felt my body give an involuntarily shiver. Although, I understood why he did it. It was either that or let him continue to wreak havoc against others, causing more bodily harm to innocents. I couldn't have done anything, as I carried no sedatives.

"_Maybe I should..._"

I approached the duo, interrupting their conversation without caring. Before they could bombard me with questions, I said to Chelsea, "I need you to do me a task. I want you to find tons of ice and cool down Shea, immediately."

She left without arguing, and I brought my attention to Mark soon after. "As for you, I need you to come with me."

I headed towards my room, hoping that Mark would have the common sense to follow me. Luckily he did.

I entered my room without closing the door, and I immediately headed to the table where most of my medical books were. The books I didn't need, I just pushed them to the side, not caring if they hit the floor or not at the moment. I kept doing this until I came upon the book I was looking for. I sat down at the table and opened it to the table of contents. My finger landed on a random word as I looked towards Mark.

"Mark, you know the island better than anybody here. I sent Wada back to the jungle a while ago, but he hasn't returned with...whatever Shea may have eaten from there. So, I need to ask you, what type of food can you think of that grows in the jungle? Something that is dangerous, maybe you noticed that not even animals would touch or eat it? Maybe it looks harmless, like another type of edible food?"

Mark stood by my door, his eyebrows arching downward, concentrating hard. My fingers began to tap against the book. I could feel time slipping away. Every second was precious and was needed to help Shea. The beads of sweat against my eyebrow didn't lessen, and I knew it wasn't the weather.

"Mark, you have to think _faster_! Shea's time is short. The longer it takes to diagnose him, the more danger he will be in, and the damages he has may _not_ be irreversible!"

"I'm _trying_ to! B-but I can't think of...wait! There is one thing! The times I have explored the jungle, there were white mushrooms growing along the path. I always noticed that they were never picked. Maybe that is what Shea ate?"

Without wasting any time, I looked through the contents in the book. Once I found the page, I turned to it. It was a nightmare, there were _hundreds_ of white mushrooms it could be, several of them being very deadly. I had to narrow it down.

First thing I have to do is think of the geographic.

"_The island is located in the..._" my thoughts trailed off as I took a pen out of my pocket and used it to cross out words in the book. I didn't have time to write them down.

I kept crossing out names that I knew did not grow this far out, and any others that didn't have the same symptoms that Shea displayed after one was eaten. I managed to narrow it down to at least 10. Still far too many. I waved Mark to come over. Once he stood behind me, I pointed at the images in the book of the mushrooms I didn't cross out. "Okay Mark, which one of these look right?"

He put a finger on his chin and looked at the images. After what felt like forever, he shook his head and admitted, "I-I don't know. They all look the same! I mean...it could be that one or that one—maybe."

I had to take that maybe, as those odds were better then what I had. I looked between the two mushrooms, and they did indeed look similar, too similar in fact. I looked at their names. One was called _Amanita bisporigera_ and the other was called _Amanita phalloides_. Their dub names were _Destroying Angel_ and the other was _Death Cap_. Well..._those_ names certainly weren't good. My eyes kept bouncing between one to the other, so much so that I could see a fuzzy image of them develop behind my retinas. I was sweating under my white coat now, and a sick feeling came to me.

"_Even if Wada returned with the mushroom, I won't have time to analyze it. Based on what I am reading, he has to receive treatment within __hours__ after eating it, or less. In addition, if anyone is seen vomiting blood, the toxins are already destroying the lining in his stomach and everything else!_"

Gulping down my nervousness, I continued reading. I needed to know which toxin, maybe I could counteract it with something. I ignored the under thought that stated, "_If you have it that is._"

Within a few seconds, I came upon the toxic type, amatoxin. Great...now what can counteract it? Unfortunately, the book did _not_ mention what could counteract it, making my nerves go haywire. I closed the book with a slam and tossed it to the side, not caring what happened to it at the moment. My hands were shaking, but I glanced at the books scattered on the floor. There were too many of them, not enough time to go through them all, and the chance of finding the information I needed in one of them was slim—very. I will have to go through my own memory.

"_Amatoxin...what can counteract that?_" I asked myself.

My mind came back blank, and it kept bringing back blanks with each second that passed. I wasn't nervous anymore, I became borderline frustrated. My fingers curled in, forming a loose fist. I bought one of each to the side of head, and banged the side of my head, hoping to the jiggle the brain inside, to make an answer pop up. It remained blank, as clear as a clean sheet of paper.

It didn't help when my evil under thoughts surfaced, making me lose my composure, "_You're going to fail,_" it said coldly.

If I didn't know any better, the room temperature dropped, making me feel cold...or is it my imagination?

"_Shut it!_" I thought back, my brain still trying to come up with an answer.

It wouldn't go away, "_You are already failing. Can't you sense that the Grim Reaper is near? Death is right at his door, scratching at the wooden surface of his room, quietly opening the door..._."

I jumped out of my skin when I heard _my door_ creak. I had to look, and sighed in relief when I saw that it was only Mark leaving my room (probably to go help Chelsea), he left my door slightly ajar. I immediately went back to pondering, although I now felt shaky again.

This time, I ignored my depressing under thoughts. I decided to look at it from a different angle, "_If this was a complex chemical problem, what would I do?_"

I answered immediately, "_I would break it down_."

"_Great. But break down what?_"

I then realized that I should look at this like a chemistry problem. I found a piece of paper on the table and began to draw the chemical compound of what amatoxin would look like, it's molecular structure. I was confident that what I drew was mostly accurate. And now that I was looking at it, it made it slightly easier to figure it out.

"_Based on the drawing...what does it look like?_"

I looked it over, trying to not get excited neither take too long or rush.

"_It looks like a peptide, an oligopeptide to be specific. Wait...I know I've seen __that__ before!_"

It took me a few seconds to come up with the answer that could counteract it.

"Penicillin! Yes, that's it!"

Although that was good news, I didn't have any penicillin on me at the moment. I slammed a fist onto the table. "There has to be another way!" I yelled, beyond frustrated.

I looked at the structure again. What else could counteract it? Instead of waiting for an answer to come to me, I began to draw another structure beside it. Maybe if I saw it that way, I will be able to come up with an answer. It didn't take long to draw the second one. I stared at it, and I could feel the answer somewhere lurking in the frontal lobe of my brain. The answer slowly crawled its way to the immediate memory portion, making me say the words aloud, like a pray to my answer, "Silibinin."

Now that I figured out what the compound looked like, I needed to figure out what contained silibinin. I knew one thing for sure, it had to be something edible, most likely a plant of some sort.

The name was familiar, and that feeling of the answer lurking somewhere in my cranium was there again. I could see a letter appear within my vision, it started with an 'M'. My knowledge of medical plants was exceptional, since I preferred to try to find a cure over pharmaceutical drugs. I drummed my fingers on the tabletop, the sound relaxing me a little.

The answer came to me as if I was struck by lightning. "Milk Thistle!"

Thanks to my past exploring on the island, I knew for a fact that it grew in a small area in the forest. I bolted upward from my chair, getting ready to run out the door, until a single thought bought me back to cold reality.

"_It's Winter, it doesn't grow in Winter_."

I was already in the lobby before the thought struck me. It was true, it didn't grow in Winter. I would be lucky to find it in fall, maybe, but not at all during the winter. This wasn't good at all, two options I had and both had to be discarded due to one problem or another.

"_Okay, before I panic and write Shea off as close to death, there had to be away to get milk thistle now! Somewhere on this island would be great!_"

Despite the situation, my mind drifted off to Wada. What happened to him anyway? I'm glad that he got me as soon as possible from the Cafe, but still... I sighed, wishing I didn't drop my cup of hot milk after leaving...

"_Wait, wouldn't the Cafe have various types of plants? Isn't milk thistle used in some teas?_"

I decided to not waste any more time, it was the last and only option left for Shea. I hoped for the best as I ran out of the lobby and ran straight to the Cafe, glad that there wasn't any people in my way. Lucky for me that Madelyn wasn't on break or too busy. The Cafe was nearly empty except for one customer sitting in the corner. Madelyn smiled at me as I approached the counter hurriedly.

"I'll have your cup of hot milk ready in a few minutes," she said, already knowing what I would order, normally.

But today wasn't a normal day.

"Not today Madelyn. I want to ask you if you have any milk thistle plants back there, that hasn't been processed or is at least pure. I have a very ill patient and he needs it."

"I believe I do, I'll go take a look," she said as she turned away from me to go through her backdoor.

I waited as patiently as I could, which was difficult as I kept looking at the clock. I swear I could hear the second hand ticking from my position.

Since I wasn't paying attention to anything except the time, she returned within a few minutes. In her hands, and to my relief, she held a large glass jar with something green in it, finely grinded. I hoped it was pure and wasn't mixed with anything else. She noticed my discomfort and said, "This is all of the milk thistle that I have. And yes, it is pure. Grinded already to be able to serve it as tea."

She held out her hands with the jar and I took it from her with a nod of thanks.

"You don't have to return the favor. By you being here, on the island, is enough for me."

I thanked her again before I ran out of the Cafe. After I give this to Shea, hoping that I am not too late to reverse the damages, he has to be put under intensive care.

"_Goddess, I hope I'm not too late._"

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**WINTER 5TH - WEDNESDAY**

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**Chelsea's POV**

It has been a few days since Shea was put under intensive care. Dr. Trent managed to find something on the island to help him. He said that it was a lucky break. If there wasn't anything on the island...it would have been too late for him. I let out a sigh of relief, what I have been doing for the past few days.

I was now at the Hotel in the lobby, work already completed for the day. I have been visiting Shea every day. He was still asleep, mostly due to the sedatives that Dr. Trent injected into his body to keep him calm...just in case his delusions kicked in, and to prevent him from hurting himself or others. He has been mostly unconscious, a light coma, for those few days.

"_As soon as he wakes up...I need to ask him how he was poisoned, and why he ate it. Did he think it was safe, and this whole incident was a freak accident? Or was he persuaded to eat it, and therefore, attacked by the mad person that has been causing trouble for a while on the island?_"

Although, Dr. Trent might not let me talk to him at all. I might agitate him, and I don't want him to be worse than before. Wada was no help either, he returned that day empty handed. He couldn't find anything out of the ordinary, and if there were mushrooms in the jungle, they were hard to find. This was understandable, considering they are as white as the snow.

I heard the front door of the Hotel open, and I looked towards it, expecting Mark to walk through it. He has been visiting Shea too, usually during hours when I am not around. It's obvious that he feels guilty for breaking his leg.

My thoughts didn't get to travel any further, as I was taken aback when I realized that it wasn't Mark that was walking through the door; it was, unexpectedly, Vaughn.

Guess I didn't realize that it was a Wednesday.

I didn't have to wave Vaughn over, he came over to where I stood himself. He leaned a little of his frame against the doorframe.

"So...what did I miss this time?"

"What makes you think something happened while you were away?"

"Julia is trying to make a cake, and it's not anybody's birthday today, as far as I know. So, I took a guess from there. And since any person that is injured is transported here, I decided to drop by to see. Am I wrong?"

"No, you're right... Shea was poisoned. Dr. Trent think he ate a deadly white mushroom from the jungle."

Vaughn shook his head and said, "He has been living there for years, and he doesn't know a dangerous mushroom when he sees one, especially if it grew where he lives at? Sounds unbelievable to me."

I didn't want to argue with him, making it seem like I know more then I let on (although, I do).

"What if...someone gave it to him? Hypothetically speaking."

I was glad that Vaughn didn't ponder my words. He shrugged his shoulder and said, "Then he's being naïve. He knows it's dangerous, but he decided to ignore his instincts and eat it anyway. He should have listened more to his survival instincts, not his eyes."

I gave him a slow nod. I agreed with him partially, but not entirely.

While he said that, my eyes had lingered to his fingerless gloves, covering his hand as always. I don't believe I have ever seen him with them off...well, excluding that time on Will's yacht...

I had to halt my thoughts there, because _a lot_ happened that night.

I involuntary lifted my arm and stretched out my fingers towards his. Maybe I was crossing an invisible line, his personal space, but it felt right, and I wasn't going to take my hand back now.

My fingers lightly grazed the tips of his fingers before I rested them there. He didn't pull his hand back either. I kept my eyes there as I said, "Maybe he was being a little naïve, but that's because he trusted that person. And there's nothing wrong with trusting people. I understand that trusting someone is like taking a chance, and that sometimes chances don't sound or look good." I then took that _chance_ to bring my gaze up to his own, slightly smiling, "But, sometimes chances have to be made. It's the only way to find out if there is something nice there too." I finished quietly.

He stared at me for a moment, before he blinked once. The only sound that came from him to my statement was "_Hmmm_."

That's okay, he can think about if he likes.

I brought my gaze back to his hand, my fingers still slightly moving against his. He still didn't move his hand away.

They are as rough as I remember them. I had to wonder if the rest of his skin was like that too. I then decided to ask him, "Do you always wear your gloves?"

"Yes, for work," he replied curtly.

"Well, you should take them off sometimes, after work."

Another '_Hmmm'_ from him.

I pulled my hand away from his, just as the door that led to Shea's room opened. Not to my surprise, Dr. Trent was there.

He greeted us both with a polite smile before he brought a serious gaze to me, "I need to speak with you real quick."

He put his hand gently on my arm and led me away from Shea's front door.

* * *

**Vaughn's POV**

I saw Dr. Trent lead her to the far side of the lobby, where I couldn't hear their conversation.

My hand, or at least my fingers, still felt warm from where she touched them. I don't know what made her do that or why, but she did cross the line.

Funny that I didn't feel angry with her. I usually don't like anybody invading my personal space.

"_She really is—different._"

I almost didn't recognize her when I originally walked into the Hotel. I forgot she cut her hair due to..._that_ event.

I was saved from furthering pondering about last week _again_ when the front door of the lobby was opened. The first thing I saw was dark pink hair. Now, I am only acquainted with two people that have pink hair, Natalie and Elliot. That person was neither of them.

I forgot that there was one other person on the island with pink hair, Alisa.

She looked around the lobby and her view casted where Chelsea and Dr. Trent were still talking. She must have wanted something, but seemed to change her mind and instead focused on _me_.

Before I could try to retreat elsewhere, she was already in front of me within seconds.

"Good morning Vaughn," she greeted happily.

"What is it that you want? I highly doubt you just want to say 'Hello'."

She nodded in the affirmative and said, "The church is planning to have a special sermon Sunday, the 9th. We decided that...due to everything that has been happening as of late, that something fun and positive should be planned."

"If I remember right, it was you and your preacher making that omen nonsense."

She ignored my comment, neither did her happy outlook change, "We would appreciate it if you could come too."

"I don't go to church. It's a waste of time."

She gave me a slow nod that time, though her face expression still didn't change, "I understand."

She then brought her hands up in front of herself, folded them, and started to—_pray_? What the—?

She wasn't praying silently, at least not silent enough for me to not hear her. I didn't catch everything she said, but I did hear her start, "Please Harvest Goddess do not treat this man with the same disregard as he has done to me when that final day comes. Please do not..."

I was _not_ going to stand there and listen to her the whole time. So, I turned away, deciding that I should leave. And she _followed_ me. I thought she would give up about time I reached the door, but she was still praying behind me. What broke the camels back though was when she said, "If he ever comes to you in need, please do not leave him bald and yowling in despair."

I felt my eye twitch as I turned my head to look at her, "If I agree to _maybe_ show up, will you stop that, _now_?"

She immediately stopped praying, midsentence, and gave me a gentle nod. I let out a forced sigh, "Fine, I'll show up, _maybe_. If I have nothing to do."

"Understandable Vaughn. May the Goddess be with you and may you have eternal happiness."

Ugh, I thought she would _stop_, not change the words around.

Luckily her attention shifted to where Chelsea and Dr. Trent were. They finally finished their conversation, and Alisa immediately headed in their direction.

I felt my eye twitch again, not believing what I agreed to do. "_I swear, nuns are evil._"

* * *

**Shea's POV**

I still feel sleepy. Want to sleep, but man in coat say to I, "_No sleep now. Sleep later._"

I no sleep now anyway. I confuse with word I hear out of room. When man in coat was here, I hear someone talk about Shea. Man outside room call Shea 'naïve'.

"_What naïve?_"

I no hear word before, not for or to Shea.

"_Maybe ask man in white coat when come back._"

I see Wada still sleep in corner in chair. Wada...great friend.

I confuse with food too. Why Chelsea give Shea bad mushroom? Chelsea no like Shea? Shea bad to Chelsea? Chelsea mad at Shea?

But, man in coat say food very bad. Bad food almost hurt Shea real bad.

I no sick now, but sleepy still and no strong.

"_Shea no take food from Chelsea in future._"

Door open, and man in white coat come in. Man nice, alway smile.

"Good, you didn't fall asleep. Did you eat your food?"

I no like food. Man call it 'special diet'. I no understand, but man say no other food. So, Shea eat 'special diet'.

"Great! Now that is settled, you may rest again if you like. I already explained to you that you might need a kidney transplant, at least for one of them. Though, hopefully it is just one...If the poison spread to the other... No matter, Wada happens to have the same blood type as yours, so you should be fine overall!"

Man talk too much, I no understand many words he say.

"Shea leg?"

"Right, your leg will take some time to heal, but it should be fine too. No more hunting for you, for a while at least."

I understand 'no hunt'. Wada hunt then, Shea rest. I okay with that.

I head on pillow, ready to sleep. But I ask man, "What naïve?"

Man confuse for second, "What does naïve mean?"

I nod.

"Well, it depends on the context. There are various definitions for it. It means inexperienced, unenlightened, lack of information and so on. There are those that use it to mean stupid or simple, but those are rather crude."

I no what to say. Man outside door, say Shea...stupid?

I feel—angry.

Man in coat say goodbye and leave room.

I still feel angry. Shea hand grab sheet hard.

"_Shea no stupid!_"

But then...Shea feel sad and think.

"_Shea no stupid—right?_"

Even no man there, I hear man voice say in head, "_He has been living there for years, and he doesn't know a dangerous mushroom when he sees one, especially if it grew where he lives at? Sounds unbelievable to me._"

I ask to head, "_Why Shea eat food? Shea think bad before eat...why eat food in box?_"

Head no answer and I no answer too. "_Maybe...Shea is stupid..._"

I remember when first see Mark many, many days ago. Mark say, "_You talk kind of funny, but I do understand you._" Mark laugh too...

Mark think I stupid too?

I stupid and people laugh at Shea...

I mad again.

"Shea is no—"

Shake head, no right!

"Sh-_I_ no—"

Shake head again, still no right! Again!

"_**I am **__**not**__** stupid!**_"

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_

* * *

**AUTHOR'S COMMENTS/NOTES**

* * *

**(1)** _Wada's Scene_: I didn't want to write in Wada's POV. He talks very little as it is in the game, and his thoughts would be just as simple, even more so, then Shea's. So, I decided to put it in 3rd person, like the beginning. I haven't used the word 'scene' in a while.

* * *

**[POLL IS STILL UP!]** *Sighs* I seem to be sighing a lot now and days... Anyway, about a week after I posted the last chapter...my laptop experienced the black screen of death. It took me about 2 days to fix it. I didn't lose anything that time, everything was still intact. And then, not even a week later, it experienced the blue screen of death. Yes, what are the odds of getting both screens of deaths from each other? Very slim, but my luck obviously hasn't been good lately, with laptops anyway. This time, no matter what I did, it did not budge... So, I did a reset. And not a factory reset, oh no, I did a hard reset. Because obviously the factory reset wasn't working. It got rid of everything and any hardware I needed, I re-downloaded/bought it myself. That took days to do alone. Is my laptop completely fine? Of course not! It's, right now, acting up. Saying something about my software not being genuine- _the hell it's not_! Unless the college store was selling illegal software all of these years, which is very unlikely, then it's genuine. I am thoroughly sick of this laptop. Funny thing is, when the black screen of death happened, I wanted to return the thing or let the company fix it (maybe both). And you know what? The warranty expired the day before the black screen of death happened! ...Don't worry I didn't kill anybody—yet. On top of that, I had...I don't even know what to call it, I guess some sort of extreme virus on my laptop after I did the hard reset. No matter what writing program I used, it would begin to delete my words on its own. So anything I began to write or whatever words were written already, it would start deleting them on its own. I have used the program 'Write or Die' online before (which _DOES_ start deleting your words if you take too long to write), but this was ridiculous! It was happening with every writing program I had and downloaded (the legal ones) for free...except notepad, and I just can't use that program for long periods of time. Not for story or work purposes I wouldn't. Notepad is too primitive for me. But nothing else worked!

Until now...and no, I still have no clue what caused it to stop or what it was etc. It stopped whatever it was doing about a week ago. I thought I was hallucinating for a second, truthfully. I don't even want to mention the progress I lost.

Oh yes, on top of all that, the email connected with this account is no longer working (not sure if the company will bring it back or not). So, I can't send anything, I can't receive anything either (so any alerts I had connected to my story, I didn't receive them; my beta-readers too) etc. Apparently, it was going on for _months_, and it is still down. I lost everything in it, including anything I wrote to myself to remind me about something. I'm still thinking about it, if I want to change email providers or not. I don't want to forget it, and I hope the company is not planning to dump/clean out all accounts, or I'll be extremely irritated. I had that email for years too….

Enough about me and my various problems; let us take a moment to talk about the chapter now...

Funny thing, I almost killed Shea accidentally in this chapter. For one, identifying the mushroom was a hit-or-miss for Dr. Trent. There are, literally, many white mushrooms that are poisonous, and indeed finding the right one is crucial. Even if Wada did find the mushroom and bought it back to him, analyzing it would have taken him _hours_ to get the results. And by then, Shea would be dead. In addition, since Shea ate the whole thing of one mushroom, his time was even more limited (effects take a few hours to show, but by then, the damages are already done/happening). Secondly, there is no mention of milk thistle in Harvest Moon. At least, not in this version/game. I kind of forgot that this is not like the other Harvest Moon games- flowers are not a grown crop. So, that dashed any other plants I had in mind. Thirdly, I forgot it was Winter starting this chapter...Milk thistle doesn't, as far as I know, grow during the winter. So, I couldn't make Dr. Trent miraculously find it in the forest, like I was planning him to do, due to the season. So, with all of these factors together, it threw me in a bind, a very bad one. Now if you are asking, "Why not just change the mushroom into something else?" Because I had this idea planned for, well, it would be more accurate to say years now. Changing it would have needed thinking, planning etc. Just creating more for me to do then necessary. Plus, I believe it's the only poisonous plant in the game. If you're now asking, "So, you would have killed him?" Honestly, it would have sucked (especially for the plot in the future), but yes, I would have if I didn't come up with the alternates above. Thank goodness I did, even though I feel sleep deprived and it was mostly pure luck...

Though, I understand what Dr. Trent was going through. I had to figure it out myself, since I couldn't do research at the time. Luckily I was right...had to remember it from what I read a long time ago.

As for the two mushroom names...yeah, they are both unpleasant. What makes them even more dangerous is that look similar to puffballs, which are non-lethal white mushrooms (edible). Writing, or rewriting rather, this chapter just makes me glad that I don't eat mushrooms anymore (they're a fungus; why would you want to eat something that is a fungus of anything?).

Then there is Shea. Notice what he said at the end. He will definitely be changing in the future. Thank Vaughn for that (I'm being a little sarcastic).

Speaking of Vaughn, seems to be that are moving along on their…strange stage of, if you want to call it that, 'relationship'. What will happen in the future? I would look forward to chapter 32, if I was you—only 3 chapters away that is.

As for the next chapter it is, as I mentioned before, the last filler (unless that somehow changes). And it's, you guessed it I'm sure, going to take place at the church: Winter 9th, Sunday. I don't want to reveal the name, but you'll probably figure that out too.

Let's see, rewriting this chapter, is definitely longer than the original one that I lost (feels like it). So let's see, in total, I have completed 23,617 words out of the original 45,000 that I lost. So, I have 21,383 words to write to go. Not too bad. I can't remember if the next chapter was long or not, I think it was...

I will be busy starting next month, June, with a nice temporarily job and awesome movies coming out this summer—you bet I will be (I still can't wait to watch '_The Avengers_' this Saturday!)! Well, until next time everyone!

_**THANK YOU ALL FOR REVIEWING (And to those that read anonymously)!**_

**EDIT [5/19/2012] LINKS TO REVIEWS:** Okay everyone, I have replied to all of the reviews. At least, up to chapter 27. 28 and 29 reviews will be replied to after Chapter 30 comes out (filler), which will take some time to re-write still. Remember you can only view them if you are listed as a 'friend' on my friend list on livejournal. Otherwise you are locked out of it (it even has an old gray lock next to it). Anyway they are (remove the underscores (_)):

**- For Chapter 18 & 19:** http_:/_/_kitty868theonly_._livejournal_._com_/_9470_._html

**- For Chapter 20 & 21:** http_:/_/_kitty868theonly_._livejournal_._com_/_9688_._html

**- For Chapter 22 & 23:** http_:/_/_kitty868theonly_._livejournal_._com_/_9770_._html

**- For Chapter 24 & 25:** http_:/_/_kitty868theonly_._livejournal_._com_/_10165_._html

**- For Chapter 26 & 27:** http_:/_/_kitty868theonly_._livejournal_._com_/_10387_._html


	31. Chapter 30, When You Believe

**NOTICE****:** This is a filler, the last filler to my knowledge (as this could change forcibly). In addition, this chapter is written in 3rd person as well. Sorry for the switcheroo again. It will be back to normal next chapter obviously. Finally, this has a _touch_ of religion in it. If you feel uncomfortable about such things, feel free to not read it. Thanks and hopefully you'll enjoy this chapter.

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**Chapter 30, When You Believe**

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**WINTER 9TH – SUNDAY**

_**SLIGHTLY SNOWY**_

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"_Hope is like a road in the country; there was never a road, but when many people walk on it, the road comes into existence."_

_-_ _Lin Yutang -_

* * *

Chelsea was just now heading to the church. She wasn't wearing her work clothes anymore nor was she dressed up too much for the occasion. Instead, she wore a plain shirt, pants, and a black jacket that looked fitting for church. Not too fancy and not too laid back. The only thing she wore that would be easily recognizable was her red bandana, which was tied around her neck instead of on her head.

She should have arrived at the church within a few minutes, but her pace was slow due to her disquieting thoughts banging around in her head. Alisa explained to her on Wednesday that the point of this, 'sermon', as she called it, was to lighten up the island inhabitants. To try to make it as lively as it was _before_.

"_In other words, before I arrived_," Chelsea forbiddingly thought.

Alisa didn't say that to her directly, but Chelsea felt like she was implying it. Furthermore, she didn't see how attending this one sermon could cheer her up in any form. She didn't understand how one sermon could make all of her worries go away, or change the outcomes that have happened thus far. Chelsea knew that when she tried to leave, not one person knew about it. And yet, when she wanted to leave secretly, she couldn't…she basically lost all hope.

She reached up one hand to her short hair and lightly pulled at the ends. Cutting her hair had made her slightly stronger, but not strong enough to regain the hope she had lost. Her confidence was wavering constantly, and she feared that it was sometimes for the worst.

Although, the way Alisa spoke to her about the sermon; she made it sound like it was the solution to _all_ of her problems. So, despite the ill thoughts that were always lingering, she decided to attend the sermon anyway.

Maybe, just maybe, her mind could be put to rest for a day…not just from the events, but from thinking about a certain white-haired male too. Ever since that day on the beach, he has been slowly plaguing her thoughts. Sometimes it would be just for a quick second, and other times…it was more extensive; Extensive enough to distract her from her daily routine or otherwise.

She still wasn't sure if she should take the weird flutter like feelings in her stomach seriously or not.

Although, she felt like that this didn't happen as 'sudden' as she thought it did. Sometimes she believed that this strange sensation occurred much earlier, maybe at the fireworks festival; it's just that she just now noticed it, was feeling it more.

Chelsea shook her head. She really needed to relax, her head was literally beginning to confuse her. Confusion never solved anything and it definitely wasn't going to now.

She then focused more on where she was walking, and realized that she had arrived. Although, she wasn't the first to arrive. What she was seeing was both unbelievable and amazing. The last time she saw such a site was at the fireworks festival.

She forced her mind to focus on the view in front of her, instead of sidetracking to _other_ things. When she took a second look at the people, she realized there was a mixture of people she knew, though she wasn't sure if they still consider her as a friend of not, and many new faces, not even residents of the island.

She walked closer to the church doors to hear everything better, the words less muddled. One fresh face was a young man that had dark hair looking almost the color blue, which just reached his back, and he wore light blue robes that made him look like a priest. He was talking to Nathan with a small smile on his face, and he held a book in his hand as well. Probably a copy of the Good Book about the Goddess. Alisa, on the other hand, was standing by the door greeting everyone that entered. Chelsea saw her greet a group of people that wore the same long white robes, though it was of a different design then what Alisa, Nathan, or even what the blue-haired man wore.

"_Were they hired?_" she wondered.

The only thing she could conclude was that they were hired or volunteered to…sing as a chorus. As long as Chelsea was there, she had never heard of singing coming from the church.

"_Maybe this sermon won't be so bad_," she thought, slightly smiling.

To add on to her surprise, she just realized that there was a line to get inside of the church. She promptly put herself at the end of the line, and waited to be let inside. Overtime, the line was slowly moving forward and she could see a little inside of the church, wondering to herself if it would be different from what it usually looked like. At the same time, that is when she noticed that Denny was in front of her, with Lanna next to him. She sadly sighed to herself, knowing that Denny wasn't feeling like his usual perky self without Kuu being on his shoulder…and the guilt didn't help either.

They had moved forward, and she remained silent. She zoned out not too long after, and only came back when she heard Lanna gasp in surprise. Denny didn't even glance in the same direction as Lanna was looking. He kept staring forward, not seeing what was in front of him.

Chelsea saw a dark skinned woman slowly approach Lanna at a graceful gait, her black hair almost in the form of an Afro and her robes were similar to the choir that had walked inside of the church not too long ago. There was one thing about her that made her stick out as well…her teeth. They were white, but there was a gap between the top middle teeth.

"De-Denise?" Lanna uttered, her voice low and obviously full of surprise.

Once the woman, Denise, Lanna called her, was close enough to her, she put one hand on her hip and gave Lanna a look of disdain.

"Yeah, it's me. Long time no seek, huh, Lanna?" Denise said to her, quickly looking Lanna up and down before her eyes settled on her face.

Lanna said nothing, she continued to stare at the woman. Lanna, truthfully wished the woman wasn't there at all. She knew who she was, and she didn't want to be reminded about certain events from her _past_ life.

"_Oh_, so now you're too shy to talk to me?" Denise continued, and the tone in her voice made it obvious to others that she didn't like Lanna.

Even to that, Lanna remained as silent as the dead. Denise scoffed at her and then walked off. Lanna eyes followed her until Alisa greeted her and she entered into the church. She was taken out of her own trance when Denny asked, "Who was that?"

Lanna shook her head and replied, "N-Nothing…let's just try to enjoy the sermon."

Denny didn't push any further, and his mind drifted back to nowhere, as before.

Chelsea saw the encounter, and she figured that they were not friends due to something that happened in the past.

"_Nothing abnormal about that…I could think of at least one person that would feel the same from my own old life,_" Chelsea thought.

As the line kept moving forward, she daydreamed about that old life…and missed it more than she thought.

"_That storm…should have killed me instead._"

If not kill her, at least make her senses cold enough for her not to feel pain or suffering ever again.

Wishful thinking on her part.

It was finally her turn, and as expected, Alisa greeted her and thanked her for coming. Alisa mentioned other things about the sermon, but Chelsea had zoned out. The next thing she knew, she was inside and found a seat. The only thing she felt was the warmth inside of the church, due to the capacity of the church. It was packed full, and she was in the middle row. From where she sat, there were others that she knew of that were sitting not too far from her position…except Vaughn, he wasn't there at all.

Others inside of the church were dressed for the sermon, wearing dark colors except for a bright color here or there, like splotches in a painting.

A few minutes had passed before Nathan had walked to the front and stood behind the podium. The goddess statue twinkled behind him in full glory. Chelsea felt her heart tighten, and she wasn't sure if she should feel angry or completely break down in tears. Everything, _everything_…started because of that statue.

She suddenly wished she didn't show up at all. She also couldn't imagine what the other residents were thinking, being reminded of the _false_ omen…and how true they found it without knowing the background.

He didn't have to hush the crowd, as most of them were quiet already. Standing next to him was the blue-haired gentleman, and he was politely smiling at everyone.

"Welcome, my brother's, sister's…and," he put a hand on the guy's shoulder next to him, giving him a bright smile of his own before he looked at the crowd again, "friends. I know our sermons are usually small, but for today, we wanted to make it _really_ memorial. There are some individuals here that have suffered greatly from recent traumatic events. Due to these events, I believe it is time to let some sunshine of hope in."

There were nods of agreement and a few lightly clapped. Nathan waited for silence before he continued, "For the sermon, Cain_**(1)**_, a pastor from another church, will be delivering the sermon today. I can assure everyone here that he is great at it. But first, we will have a choir from the mainland sing the hymn, 'Hail Harvest Goddess'_**(2)**_ before we begin the main sermon. Enjoy, and thank you for attending."

A loud applause broke out from the crowd. Nathan left the podium and Cain was following behind him. The choir that Chelsea saw from outside, they stood from the front row and walked to the front. They all stood in their position and stared straight ahead, some eyes on the audience and others were not. The one Lanna had an encounter with, Denise, stayed seated in the front, not joining them for that song. The clapping slowly died down.

Chelsea nearly jumped out of her seat when she heard the piano begin to play. When she turned her head to the far left side, she noticed that there was a piano there, and there was someone playing it...from the back of her head, she looked like Sabrina, but there was something _different_ about her_**(3)**_.

The choir began to sing, their voices blending together in perfect harmony.

_Hail Harvest Goddess enthroned above, oh Goddess._

The choir continued to sing the song, the song a slow and calm sounding song, relaxing the audience. The soft keys of the piano playing along made the atmosphere even more so. Chelsea couldn't help but relax as well. The choir continued to sing the song, and their voice slowly died down when they reached the line, seemingly the last line, "Salve Regina."

The audience must have thought so too, and Chelsea could see that a few were getting ready to clap, out of politeness because the song was short. However, the choir began to clap their hands with musical rhythm, the piano also began to pick up a little in pace and _felt_ more upbeat. The choir began to sing again, and their singing was more upbeat as well. They sang the first line like before, but with more emotions behind it, making a few of the audience move internally. Chelsea also noticed that Denise was now standing in front of the choir and was conducting them.

The choir was doing such a good job that some of the people that were seated stood up and began to clap along and sing. Not as loudly as the choir, but one could see that they felt the spirit within them, driving them to be more moving. The choir song was so fulfilling that it could be heard from the outside.

Subconsciously, Chelsea was clapping along from her own seat. She could feel a few of the negative emotions lifting from her shoulders. Not enough to make her forget, but enough to relax in the church.

When the choir had reached certain lines in the hymn, one of the members voice had raised above the others and they would hold the note. And at other points of the hymn, only two members would sing it before they would reach another line and the choir would be singing together again.

They finally reached the last line, being very intense and moving.

_Salve Reeeegiiiina!_

The choir and the piano had stopped at the same time and the audience went crazy with cheers. Chelsea didn't doubt that they could be heard outside, not that she disagreed with the audience sentiments. She couldn't help but clap as well for their endeavors.

The choir bowed politely before they all went to go take their seats in the front. Cain then approached the podium. He put his book down before he looked up at the people. He smiled again and his eyes went over everyone once more, his eyes seemed to stay a little longer on Chelsea, before he addressed the churchgoers.

"Well," he chuckled, "that was interesting, wasn't it? A nice wake-up call!"

There were murmurs of agreement in the audience.

"Thank you, choir, for sharing that. I can't wait to hear the song for the end of the sermon," he stated before he looked down and turned to a page in his book.

He silently glanced at the pages for a few moments, and then looked back up at the audience.

"Tell me…what do you think of when you hear the word 'Hope'? No need to raise your hand and share the answer, just think about it for a second."

Cain decided to give everyone a few minutes to think about their answer, silently. The answer that came up in Chelsea's mind was the plain definition, as far as she knew, of hope.

Optimistic.

Just as suddenly, her thoughts turned sour. Having quick flashbacks of the past events that happened on the island thus far. She came to a conclusion on what the word really meant.

"_Useless_," she thought bitterly.

Utterly useless as far as she was concerned. Hope sure hasn't helped her thus far…not even the Harvest Goddess herself did. She and the 'shining beacon' of hope left her to her own endeavors. So far, it wasn't working out.

"The answers vary," Cain said, interrupting Chelsea's thoughts of the word 'hope'. "Some of you think of the times that you made it through, mostly difficult times. While others, may see it as a waste of time to put your emotions or expectations on it…because it has failed you," saying the last bit in a somber tone.

For some reason, it made Chelsea tune in to his words more closely, even if she had a small idea of where it might be going.

"For those of you that think the latter…I do not put the blame on you. There are times when life gets the best of us and we think taking certain routes on the road will make it better, or unfortunately, end it all. Everyone has their limit, even those that believe they are strong enough to deal with anything."

He fiddled with the page a bit with his fingers, as if he was also absorbing what he just stated.

"Let me share something with all of you…hope doesn't come when you are expecting or asking for it at a certain time. Hope comes only if you believe it will come, sooner or later. Not when you feel or think it should come at 'so and so' time. It's not like a friend that is waiting for a call from you, to tell it when it can come over. Hope is fragile and it comes and goes through people. It's there at one time, and gone the next just as quickly."

He lightly let the tip of his fingers touch before continuing with, "Hope…is like a test. We all have to endure hardships at some point in our life. Sometimes for a very long time before things change for the better. One thing that I know for sure is that hope goes hand in hand with our actions. Hope will not come if you are not doing what you can from your own end. It's the same when you try to 'get' hope without everything that is needed. A chef cannot cook without pots and pans, there is no Ying without a Yang, and where there is darkness, there is light. They work in harmony, and hope does the same for you. But if you are blinded by pain or hate, maybe both, your mind becomes clouded and you do not make the best judgment calls. When that occurs, your body is not in harmony, it's not balances, and hope is lost for you. If you believe that it is not there…then it is not there. You have already set your mind to believe that. It's like saying to yourself, "I can't do this." If you say or think that to yourself enough times, it becomes true. You have to get past the block that is in the mind…or you are already lost. You have to be willing to take a chance, to change, for the better in your life. If you hold on to that hate or pain, then you have not moved on, and those emotions are in control of you and your life; the past and your future."

* * *

"_Why am I here?_" Vaughn thought to himself.

For a moment, he actually _thought_ about the question…why was he here on this _stupid_ planet and assigned to that _stupid_ island? He shook his head from the odd and deep thinking thoughts and redirected it to the real idea he originally had.

Honestly, he couldn't believe that he was actually going to _church_...or at least heading to the island to go to the church.

He looked over the rail on the boat and he saw the island not too far in the distance. He didn't forget what time the nun said to be there, he just didn't want to be on time. Churches made him feel…_uncomfortable_, for his own reasons that he would rather not share in this lifetime...if he could help it.

Giving an internal frustrated groan, he turned away from the view of the island and sat back down in the wooden chair. It gave its own groan in protest.

He put his elbow on his leg and let his chin rest in the palm of his hand. The surrounding noise of the waves made him close his eyes, feeling a little at peace with himself; so _surreal_.

Since _that day_ on the beach, he wasn't exactly acting like himself lately. He has made consequential mistakes, both at work and at home. Just earlier this week, for instance, he forgot to file the paperwork for some of the animals to be transported to another island. To add on to that, the paperwork he did file, he didn't write down the correct amount of animals the farm asked for in another town! That wasn't all…he forgot to check on the chickens at the animal warehouse on Saturday, so they were really cross with him when he _did_ see them the next day. The worst was that he had _undercharged_ one customer for buying a well-breed horse that he, himself, took care of for a few years. Not by 100, 200, or even 500 gold coins…but by _at least_ 2,000! His eye _still_ twitched at the horrific thought! Lucky for him, his boss let the mistake slide. Though, what pissed Vaughn off was when his boss said, "Everyone makes mistakes once in a while. Don't feel too bad about it Vaughn."

It bothered Vaughn because he has never made a mistake at work…not so many in one week. Maybe a small one with little, if any, consequences attached to it once in a blue moon. But in one week? Never.

Unfortunately, he didn't keep those thoughts to himself; he stated them out loud to his boss in a heated tone.

Instead of taking his 'tantrum,' as his boss called it, seriously and firing him, his boss told him to clean out all of the pins for all of the animals in Warehouse #10. The foul _smell_ didn't help his foul _mood_ either.

Those mistakes occurred only at work. At home was a _completely_ different matter. He didn't quite decide if it was better or worse compared to his mistakes at work.

At home…when he was trying to cook fried vegetables, he accidentally added _fuel_ (and he still has no idea how it appeared on his counter) to the ready hot pan. It didn't take long for the fire to react to it. He managed to kill the flames and not cause too much damage to his small apartment that he has called his home…though the pan was not so lucky. Additionally, he couldn't recall where he left stuff in his home, such as the keys to his apartment. Vaughn was an organized and routine kind of person…to place the keys in an unusual spot, in the kitchen sink in his case, from its usual spot in his pocket or by the door was off-putting to him. The worst though, to him, was when he one day in that week suddenly thought his next door neighbor was Chelsea. Even though, for as long as he lived there, he knew a hippy was living there that happened to have long brown hair…a _male_ hippy. Secondly, Chelsea no longer had long brown hair, it was short now. He still had no idea how he could forget such an obvious detail, considering he was there that day with her having the knife and all….

It didn't make him angry, it was just _embarrassing_.

He slid his hand up to cover half of his face. Just thinking about that particular event made him embarrassed. The only 'good' thing out of that was that he did not call the hippy by _her_ name. _That_ would have been even more embarrassing.

Overall though, he didn't know what the hell was wrong with him.

"_Maybe I'm coming down with something_," he explained to himself, although he didn't really fully believe in it.

"We have now arrived at Sunny Island! Please don't forget any luggage you may have brought with you. Thank you for riding this ferry!"

He was glad for the distraction. He stood up from his seat and looked around for his tool kit…and he couldn't find it. Even though he was off today, he figured he should still bring it anyway to try to do work…considering all of the screw-ups that occurred in the week, it was time for him to make it up.

With him not finding his toolkit, it would seem that this would be added to the now growing list of his fumbles.

"_I feel like damn clumsy Elliot making all of these mistakes_," he thought as he lowered his head, feeling both shame and pissed.

He gave up looking for his tool kit. The only thing he could do was hope he left it at home, just merely _thought_ he took it with him, and not left it somewhere else. Replacing the kit would take time and money out of his pocket…which he lacked both at the moment.

Once one of the workers lowered the board, he walked down it and headed straight in the direction where the church would be—towards the forest.

As he was walking, that was when he noticed the light fluttering of white drops falling past the visionary line of his hat. He slowed his walking to stare at the unshaped white clusters for a moment, and then he realized how fast winter had approached. Too fast for his liking, although there was a little good attached to it. His workload should be just a bit more than usual. Colder weather equals more sick animals. Making him put in more hours. More hours for him means bigger paycheck.

Simple process…he just has to stop the clumsy actions he was doing lately. If he could stop that, he'll be fine for the rest of his days.

Finally, he continued his walk to his normal fast walking pace. Away from the peaceful beach to the place that made him feel uncomfortable, the church. Now that he was thinking of the church, he didn't even know the name of it…and he decided that he'll keep it that way. Best to be purposely ignorant about some things in the world. Not knowing the name of the church would keep certain memories from resurfacing in his mind.

About time he reached the doors of the church, already deciding that he would not enter, he could hear the sermon coming to an end. At least, it seemed like it was coming to an end. He put one ear against the door and he could hear shuffling going on inside and hands clapping in applause lightly. It didn't take long for a voice to follow, above the noise.

"Thank you, brothers and sisters, for attending and listening to the sermon...even though it was given by someone that is unfamiliar to you."

Vaughn heard a few people inside give that priest, obviously not Nathan since the voice was different, encouragement. The noise subsided shortly after.

"Before we leave, I would like to remind everyone that you are welcomed to come to the Diner. Nathan and I have asked a special chef to prepare a large meal with various choices of entrees. Large enough to feed a small army. So please, feel free to attend if you don't feel like cooking for the day."

Vaughn heard the man cough loudly. An unintended pause on his part.

"Now, the choir would like to sing a particular song. A great closure for the sermon. Thank you all, again, for coming in today."

* * *

Chelsea felt much better by the end of the sermon, at least the speech portion. Not 'happy-go-lucky' better, but bright enough to feel like she can keep going a little longer on the island. She couldn't imagine what the end song would be like. Their opening was great, so the ending was bound to be excellent.

Denise, the leader of the choir it seem, stood up from her seat and walked to the front, alone.

"_Odd…only she's singing?_" Chelsea thought.

Her silent question was answered when the other members did not join her on stage. Denise cleared her throat for a few seconds. The woman at the piano began to play a slow and low tune. Not the type of slow tune that would make two companions come closer and dance slowly purposely, but the type of tune that pulls the small strings at the heart, within the soul.

Denise eyes scanned everyone as she said, "It would be great if anyone sung the song with me, if you know the words." Her eyes stopped at someone, "Jump in at the time you think is right. I don't mind… having a strong voice might be helpful for you, though."

The woman at the piano continued to play the notes, and Denise began without any further comments.

_Many nights we prayed**(4)**_

Her voice was low, but strong. Chelsea could hear the emotions behind the words. It was already beginning to stir something inside of her. As Denise continued to sing, her voice became stronger and louder. Not loud like a scream, immediately, it became louder gradually. To build tempo in the music. All of her heart and soul was going into the song, making Chelsea feel like she should join in. Others in the room felt like her, but none dared to join in the same harmony.

_You will when you believe_

Denise voice had lowered, as if the song was ending. Although Chelsea knew in her mind and heart that the song couldn't be over, not yet. It was missing something, many to her.

Suddenly, another voice joined in, to fill in the large gap that Chelsea felt.

_In this time of fear_

Chelsea turned her head to see who it was. It shouldn't have surprised her that the other voice was Lanna's, but it did. Chelsea has heard Lanna sing many times, but they were mostly Pop lyrics, not a song that is closer to the heart and soul, the spirit.

Lanna's voice started the same way, low, but gradually increased as she sung the lyrics. As she sang, she walked closer to the front, where Denise stood on the 'stage', not far from the podium.

It took Chelsea a moment to realize that she was mouthing the words to herself. Others in the church were doing the same thing, and swaying to the lyrics, their eyes glistening as if they were about to cry. Chelsea could feel her own eyes moistening.

After Lanna has sung her part, solo, they began to sing together. Sometimes one would sing a verse while the other would repeat a part of that same verse behind them, sometimes extending the last word. Soon, it wasn't just Lanna and Denise standing, but other citizens of the church were as well. Most of them were not singing along, they were just swaying their hands in the air. The few that were singing along were doing so in a low voice, trying to not be embarrassed by the sound of their amateur voice compared to the professionals, yet join in to be part of that energy.

Chelsea understood why they wanted to stand and join in, because she was beginning to feel the same way. The emotions inside of her were rare, and she couldn't even remember the last time that she went to church. The few times that she would feel these emotions; not happiness, but hope.

Denise held a note while Lanna continued to sing behind her. They were singing together, in perfect sync. She found it slightly odd that earlier, they seemed to hate each other guts…or at least Denise did. Lanna just felt nervous around her, maybe even guilty.

Chelsea didn't dwell on it. She just now knew that they were getting along. Maybe Denise had a sudden premonition or felt that her anger wasn't justified…then again, being inside of a church can change some people's attitudes and perceptions about events in their life, and sometimes in others.

She recognized some of the people that stood or at least the ones that could stand. Denny, however, stay seated. Although his shoulders weren't hunched forward, telling her that his mood was a little lifted and not the usual hopeless that he felt since the discovery of his profound fear of water. She silently wished she could see his face expression to have a better judgment of his internal feelings.

The song itself was making her feel a little over sentimental, but it was right, just as the sermon was. Hope is frail, but it cannot be killed so easily. And so, she won't let hers die, not yet, not until she figured out the mystery behind everything…even if it killed her.

They finally reached the last verse, at that point, everyone sung it:

_When you believe!_

Denise and Lanna held the note for the word 'believe', until their breath ran out.

The applause followed right after. They did wonderful together, and the song was more than enough to lift her spirits, her resolve, and her mission. She was going to stay here, as she wished to do in Spring when she was at home. It wasn't time for her to go home, not yet. She'll return home when she can honestly say that her life is in order…for everyone on the island.

Chelsea didn't notice that everyone had stood up and were all over the place. Some were greeted or applauding the choir and priest, others were talking to their neighbors, and there were the ones that were leaving. Alisa was at the door, thanking everyone for coming and saying something else to them, possibly encouragement?

She stood up from her seat and walked towards the front, to at least thank the choir for their inspiring music. When she did reach the front, she could see Denise and Lanna talking…or at least Denise was talking.

"Lanna…if you think that I am still angry with you for what you did, don't. It's…hard to explain, but, I can say this. If I had stayed angry with you, I wouldn't have been able to move on in life, with _my_ life. It's funny, I didn't know how I would react if I ever saw you again. Would I kick you in the head? Punch you? Yell at you till I was blue in the face? I obviously failed to hold my tongue at all, but, I'm not mad enough at you to demand anything. I have already forgiven you for what you did a _long_ time ago."

Lanna sighed in relief at those words, but Denise wasn't finished, "However, just because I forgave you, it doesn't mean you'll escape punishment. It will come back around…if it hasn't already."

Chelsea didn't know exactly what they were talking about, but she could tell that Denise was being serious. She didn't say it cruelly, just being truthful with her words.

Lanna didn't bother to argue. She just nodded her head once, silently agreeing…or accepting?

Chelsea couldn't tell.

She approached them, pretending that she didn't hear anything, and thanked them for the wonderful ending.

* * *

Vaughn was standing by the Goddess Pond now. He had heard the whole song, and his thoughts were still swirling due to one verse in the song. It drove him crazy.

People were exiting the church now, as he could see them from his position. He started to see familiar faces exit the church, and he could hear Alisa give them guidance…after she looked them in the eyes, as if she was seeing something there before she could comment on how to fix it.

Julia was the first he saw, and he made sure that he wasn't within her view.

"Julia…you are a brave soul, but at the same time, you're afraid. It's okay to be afraid. Only the foolish are not afraid. It's okay to not be perfect either. Just be yourself, and life will be fine for you. Have hope as well, life will get better for you," Alisa said to her.

Julia gave her a nod with a smile, and left, not looking Vaughn's way (to his relief).

Next was Elliot and Natalie…and he couldn't understand how they even 'escape' the house. Then again, there is the possibility that she just let them go…or they let themselves go.

"Elliot and Natalie, you both have your positive and negative qualities. However, with the both of you together, you are in perfect harmony…despite what one of you think of one another secretly. Natalie, you need to stop trying so hard to be the 'tough girl'. It's fine to be afraid sometimes and not brave. It's perfectly fine to have feelings…you don't have to protect your brother anymore."

Vaughn couldn't see her face expression, but he saw her shoulders and back suddenly stiffen. She quickly rolled out of there, leaving Elliot behind. Alisa didn't even glance her way when she left, she continued to speak, now only to Elliot.

"Elliot, as I said to your sister, it's fine to be afraid. You are brave when you need to be. Your other good quality is that you try to be fair, while trying to be a good friend. Continue to stand up for what's right, be there for your friends, and life will reward you well."

Elliot thanked her for her words and ran, trying to catch up to wherever Natalie went to.

Pierre came out after Elliot disappeared from the door (then again, he could have been there the whole time).

"Pierre, you are doing everything you can to make up for your disability. Keep doing what you want to do, reach your lifetime dream, and you will get there. I can see it."

He smiled at her and left right away.

Lanna and Denny were next.

He saw Alisa's face fall, suddenly sad with what she saw.

"Lanna, you are going to have to work hard to change. You are trying…but I believe that you can do better. You need to stop being…almost selfish. You are actually angry that Denny is the way he is, that he now doesn't 'care' about _your_ dreams. It's not all about you Lanna."

It caught Vaughn by surprise with her straightforward words. Then again, if it was the truth as she saw it, she's not going to be shy to say it.

Lanna, to his surprise as well, didn't argue with her. She simply nodded. Denny didn't react at all to her words…he was in some other zone, staring at nothing ahead. _Damn_, was what came to Vaughn's mind.

"Denny…I'm not sure if you can hear me or not, but…for you, you need to stop running away from the past. You need to accept what happened and that it had nothing to do with you, personally. It was…destined to happen, I'm afraid. I don't mean just that particular event that you don't speak of…but the others as well. You can't control everything Denny, or change it. Not everyone can be…reasoned with."

Denny did react that time, he bit his lower lip, but that was all he did.

Lanna and Denny left at the same time, not glancing back.

The next person that came out didn't, to his surprise, send him reeling in wrath. Annoyed him at most, but that was all. Alisa stared into the young man's dark-green eyes, and then her face fell, borderline horror-stricken. Mark gave her a smile, not his stupid-grin-smile, just one out of greeting.

Before Alisa could give him guidance, he thanked her for the invitation and he quickly left. As if he was in a hurry to go do something…or just be somewhere else. It was odd, since it was Winter he shouldn't have very much work to do.

Alisa face stayed that way for a few more moments, and then it lit up as she saw someone from inside coming her way.

When the next person came out, Vaughn silently wished that he didn't come at all. He already knew that he wasn't going to enter the church, so what was the point of him coming?

Chelsea was next. He made sure that he was truly invisible to her. He wasn't himself lately, and he didn't want to have a 'chance' encounter with that woman.

"Chelsea…you are a hard worker, too much sometimes. At the same time, you have a secret of some sort. I don't know what it is, but whatever it is…it's killing you. I think you need to-"

"I thank you for inviting me to the sermon. I enjoyed it, and I think it helped…clear up a few things for me. I can assure you that I will be _fine_. This secret that you speak is not that big of a deal. It was just a minor conflict is all, and believe me…it's being solved," Chelsea said, sounding sure of herself.

Vaughn saw them stare at each other for a few moments before Alisa nodded her head. "The omen is true Chelsea…but don't let it kill you is all I'm trying to say. Continue to have hope, and it'll all be in the past."

Chelsea gave Alisa her own nod and then she left, without looking back…and to Vaughn's relief, without seeing him.

That was when unfamiliar people started to leave the church. Vaughn turned away, not wanting to see anymore. Instead, he looked down at the pond, seeing his reflection upon its surface. His mind drifted to that one verse in the song. All it did was make him disagree with those words. It wasn't true, at least not to him.

His inner thoughts were interrupted when someone from behind him said, "Hello. Glad you could come at least"

He turned to face her, and sighed, "Didn't want to come, _nun_, but I did somewhat promise. So, I did show."

He let his eyes drift upward, and he realized that it was getting dark. He was obviously in that spot for quite a while. Being Winter though, it would get dark quicker. At the same time, he realized the church was empty. Most of them might be at the Diner, enjoying a hot meal to beat this cold weather.

Alisa's face fell as bit. Not because of what Vaughn said, but because she could see something in him, as she did with the others that exit the church.

"I know that you will find what I'm about to say annoying—"

"Then don't say it."

"—But, it has to be said. Your problem is similar to Denny's. Except you hold on to the past very hard, to close. You remember it and you let it drive you forward."

"You know that I don't believe in your weird guidance thing, right?" he said with an eyebrow raised.

Alisa ignored his words, as she saw it as a tactic on Vaughn's end.

"While it is true that in order to have a future, there needs to be a past. That doesn't mean, however, that you only let the past create the future. With you though, you hold on only to the pain and suffering. You need to learn how to let it go…or you will end up being alone. Not everything is bad Vaughn. There is a heaven too."

"I think you already know that I don't believe that the Goddess exist, right? Same if there is a H. God of some sort. I _do know_ that there is a hell." Vaughn lightly waved his hand around him. "Because we're already in it."

Alisa bent forward a little, a light bow, and said with all sincere, "I really do wish that life will get better for you, maybe it will. Thank you again for coming."

At that, she turned and left the man to his quiet endeavors. He turned back around to look at the pond, not caring where she went.

It didn't take long for his mind to wander. This time, it flashed to his recurring dream, with Chelsea falling into the endless pit of black water…this _pond_. He thought to himself, "_I wonder if that 'secret' Alisa mentioned has anything to do with it…._"

He let the thought stay there, as he tried to think of an answer to it. He was brought back to reality when the surface of the pond shimmered. More ripples broke out upon its smooth surface. It took him a moment to realize that it was lightly snowing.

He stared at the flakes, and then another thought flashed in his mind. It was the hard and cold truth, as cold as each flake that pass by his hat. Something he never really focused on before, or even realized.

He was alone.

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_

* * *

**AUTHOR'S COMMENTS/NOTES**

* * *

**(1)** _Cain_: He's a _really_ _old_ HM character. I don't mean old as in age, I just mean he's from one of the old HM games. He appeared in, as far as my knowledge goes, in HM 2. I don't know what he really looks like. Based on his sprite, his hair _looks_ blue. And he doesn't look old…they should remake some of the older HM games. I need a better look at some of the characters. Anyway, that's him. He's some priest in the older games.

**(2)** _Hail Harvest Goddess_: The name of the real song is 'Hail Holy Queen', aka 'Salve Regina'. I'm referring to the song that played in the movie 'Sister Act' though, that featured Whoopi Goldberg. An old movie, but I liked it. Er, anyway, I couldn't list the whole song because the copyright for it hasn't expired. Most hymns/church songs copyright have expired…but that one wasn't one of them. I checked. So, you only get bits and pieces. If you want the whole song, feel free to listen to it and/or find the lyrics yourself. You get the idea.

**(3)** _Piano Player_: No, it wasn't Sabrina. I was referring to Mary. Yes, that Mary. From 'HM: Friends/More Friends of Mineral Town'. My knowledge is a little rusty, but she did play the piano in the game(s). So, it made sense for her to do the same here. I didn't get to introduce her in the story; then again, there was really no point of doing so. Maybe some other time I will.

**(4)** _Second song (end song in church)_: For those of you that may not recognize the song, it's called 'When You Believe', as the name of this chapter is. The song was featured in the animated movie 'The Prince of Egypt', created by DreamWorks [Shrek, How to Train Your Dragon, Madagascar, A Beautiful Mind etc.]. This song/movie came out in many languages…especially the song. Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey sung this song together…and it was beautiful. At least, to me. Maybe not to your taste, eh. Since the copyright did not expire for this song, I didn't use too many lines of the lyrics. If you want to know them, feel free to look them up and read and/or listen to the song.

* * *

[**POLL IS STILL UP!**] Well, I have some good news and not so good news. Before we get to that, what do you think of the cover of the story? Nice right? I have had that ready since…2010. So, if you downloaded the sample E-book of my story, you would have seen it a long time ago. Now, the good news. Guess what? It's finished. Really, _it's_ finished! As in, this story. No I mean, I completed it and the _other_ chapters are on my hard-drive/laptop etc. NaNoWriMo helped me finish it and I caught up to the words I missed as well before NaNoWriMo began. I feel very happy, I was beginning to go crazy with this story, and I seriously need a break from HM overall. Now, the bad news…. I didn't like the ending too much that I came up with. So…I'm doing some major editing before you even see it…at all, including the chapters that get there. Editing includes redoing any large paragraphs etc. So, the torment isn't exactly over yet. I want to promise that I'll be updating every Friday. But, I can't. To make it more complicated, life has been nothing but busy for me. I had an internship during the summer, then I had another short internship after that (which ended in November), and I may have another on the way. Yeah, I'm doing short-term internships till a solid job lands in my lap. All of the internships I did, while mostly enjoyable, has tired me out about time I arrive home. Speaking of home, I have to do things when I do get home. So, even editing has become almost impossible. Editing this short chapter (is it short? Feels like it) even took me a week plus to get it done. To shorten that, life is getting in the way. Anyway, I can add something else though. Even with the ending, I'm planning to add a few extra chapters for…well, just for a bonus. What? Don't trust me? xD Anyway, expect those bonus chapters at least. I'm going to try to blend them into the storyline overall, so they won't seem like bonus chapters. To add on to that, I bought myself a tablet (_very_ light). I can't do crazy stuff on it, but I can type/work on it; which is the plan. To work on my writing material on the tablet while my laptop will be for doing other things (other fun stuff- heavy fun stuff). Keeps everything neat and all. So far, I like it, may switch it for another, but I'm fine with it for now.

As for this chapter, you can see that this is a filler, the last one. I did not include Sabrina in it…and I can't remember why at this time, but, she'll have her time to shine soon anyway in the future. Actually, that future is the next chapter. The next chapter will be on Winter 12th (Wednesday). That day feels significant to someone; feel free to look at the HM calendar to see why.

Everyone in this chapter, or mostly everyone, had a little break from the usual hell they endure, except Vaughn…who is just being as stubborn as a bull. He'll come around very soon. After all chapter 32 is coming up. You will, hopefully, enjoy it when you see it.

Irreverent to the story, but I decided to change my email that was connected to this account. I couldn't get to my old email…which upsets me, as I had many great emails/memories etc. attached to it. So…I'm pretty much starting anew. Hopefully this one will stay around longer. Finally, I have accounts at other places besides here. Once this story is completely edited, they will appear on those other sites. For a list of those other sites, go to my profile (and I will edit that as well).

_**THANK YOU ALL FOR REVIEWING (And to those that read anonymously)!**_

_LINKS TO REVIEW REPLIES COMING SOON!_


	32. Chapter 31, Poison

**Chapter 31, Poison**

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**WINTER 12TH - WEDNESDAY**

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**Chelsea's POV**

I didn't finish working until the afternoon. I would usually finish within a few hours, but my mind has been very occupied lately, on what I should do on a _certain_ day. Friday was fast approaching, a few days from now, and it wasn't just any Friday…but _the_ Friday. I had actually forgot about it, and I _should_ have been thinking about it at least a week back…despite the events that happened.

My first hint should have been Mark. Mark was acting really anxious around me. Earlier in the week, he has been offering to help me, more than when I first arrived on the island. In addition, his depression mood seemed to have dissipated overnight. Not completely, as I still sometimes saw him stand alone for a few minutes without saying or doing anything; his mind in another place. Mostly though, he was his old cheerful self.

Then there was Will.

Will has always been nice to me, but he has been a little more active then usual with his visitations to me…as well as being a little more persistent inviting me to join him for certain meals.

I try my best to be nice to the both of them, but when I agree to let them do what they want or I agree to do something with them…I feel guilty. Not just guilty, but I didn't feel…quite right around them either. I felt like there was some type of void inside of me. And neither males seemed to fill it; not with their gifts (most of them from Will), conversations, or their very presence. What makes me even more confused is that when I walk by the Animal Shop, or even in the same vicinity, I noticed that I would slow my walk. About the same speed as a turtle would go. As I would walk by the shop, I would look through the window, as if looking for someone. I thought it might be Julia…but that didn't seem right.

Then there was the event that occurred on the beach….back in Fall.

I even remember the date and day; Monday, the 26th.

Just for that brief moment, with _him_ being there, even when he pulled back…I felt content. I felt happy. A little frustrated too, because he didn't…. Now that I thought about it, I don't remember a void being there before, or even on that day. This black hole within me, in the back of my mind, wasn't there until after that day. Then there was the weird backflips and fluttering my heart would do.

I looked down at the path, frowning a little, "_So…what does it mean?_"

I didn't know the answer, or rather, I didn't want to give an answer. I had an idea…but I couldn't admit it. How could I? When I'm not even sure how the other person in question feels...if he even has feelings.

I continued to stare at the path, hoping it'll give me an answer to my troubling thoughts.

It offered as much answers as a wall and my mind at the moment…nothing.

I shook my head and continued down the path, heading towards Sabrina's house. The answer to my question can be pointed out to me later…if I can find one.

It didn't take me long to reach her mansion. Without waiting a moment longer, giving my negative thoughts more time to pass through, I pressed a finger to the doorbell. I could hear the familiar doorbell tune ring inside.

It didn't take long for the door to open, and Sabrina's head poked out from behind the door. She gave me a smile once she saw that it was me, "Thank you for coming."

I nodded and she opened the door wider, letting me inside. I walked inside and she closed the door behind me. I couldn't help but look around, as I have only been to her home a few times…including that time when her home was ransacked by some unknown individual.

She walked in front of me. "We will be upstairs, in my room, if you do not mind?"

I chuckled and slightly shook my head. "It's your birthday Sabrina. Do what you feel you want to do."

She nodded and her smile widens a bit. "Upstairs, please."

She turned and ran up the stairs with excitement. I looked around once more and then I followed her trail. I reached the top and realized she wasn't in the kitchen, but by the doorway leading to her room.

"I prefer for us to chat in my room," she said as she entered her room.

I followed her to the room, and she was already seated in a fluffy cushion in front of the coffee table, which was covered with a vanilla tablecloth and a tray, but other than that, it was bare. I joined her on the other side, sitting in my own cushion chair.

She shook her head in disappointment. "I apologize for not having anything out for you to lessen your appetite. I was busy doing some tasks."

I waved my hand, dismissing her unneeded apology. "I understand."

She stood up from her seat and took the tray off the table. "I will go do that now. I'll prepare something and bring some tea too. Is there any particular type of tea you want?"

"Anything is fine."

She nodded her head in understanding. "Feel free to explore, and I'll be back before you know it."

She ran back to the kitchen. I listened to the movements a bit before I stood up and explored the room.

There wasn't much to look at. There was the bookshelf, her bed, her dresser with her jewelry case on the top of it, her desk that had books on it, a few open, and a picture of a rose on the wall, between two windows.

I walked up to the rose, admiring the painting. I looked for the signature, and it was signed by Sabrina herself.

"Hey Sabrina!" I yelled from my position.

"Yes?" she yelled back, though much lower than my own.

"You really drew this painting, of the rose on your wall?"

"Yes! It took me a few hours to do, and it was during spring time. I was practicing realism, I did that in the city, shortly before we moved here!" she shouted back, excitement in her voice.

"It's amazing!"

She yelled her thanks back, although by her tone, she seemed busy. I could hear the noise in the kitchen increasing. I turned my head in the direction of the doorway. "Do you need help?"

"No! I'm fine!"

I shrugged my shoulders before I turned my head back around to admire the painting some more.

As I stared at it, I realized that there was something odd about it in the middle of the rose.

I frowned and brought my head a little closer to the painting, bending forward. It looked like there was something else there.

I lifted a hand up, and tapped my index finger at the center of the rose. It felt smooth there, too smooth to be the paint.

I tapped it again and continued to stare at it.

"_Now that I'm looking at it more closely…it looks like a button._"

I quickly turned my head towards the doorway; she was still busy in the kitchen, going by the sounds alone. I faced the painting again. This time I pressed my finger in the center of the painting, harder.

Nothing happened.

I stood up straight again, disappointed that my excitement was raised for nothing.

Suddenly, the painting began to shake. I took a step back, away from it. Luckily it wasn't loud enough to attract Sabrina's attention; otherwise I would _have_ to explain myself.

The painting slid upward…along with the whole section of that wall, where the painting use to be.

"_Wow! A doorway!__**(1)**_" I thought with excitement.

I quickly looked behind me again, she was still busy.

My head faced the secret doorway again, and it was dark inside. I took a step inside anyway, hoping that I would find light.

Once I was inside however, I realized that finding a light switch was unnecessary. It was already dimly lit by electrical candles along the wall. The room itself was about half the size of Sabrina's, which was pretty large in itself.

Then I noticed the various paintings on the wall.

The smile I had on my face fell, and the excitement slowly turned into dread. As I looked at the paintings, I realized that each painting was of the same thing, or rather, of the same _person_.

I spun around the room, looking at each one, trying to find one that was different. As I was doing this, I was taking steps backwards, away from the entrance.

Until I bumped into something. Something _large_ and hard.

I whirled to face it…and amethyst eyes stared back.

In reaction, I fell backwards, tripping on my own feet. Despite the pain I felt landing on my bottom so harshly, my gaze was transfixed to the figure in front of me. Wondering how he was here, and _why_ he was here.

Then I worried for myself, wondering if he was doing something I wasn't supposed to see.

As my breathing came out fast, being the only noise in the room, he continued to stand there…just staring. His eyes still unblinking.

"_Wait…he's not blinking, or even moving._"

My heart started to slowdown as another realization hit me; he wasn't really moving at all, not even his face expression changed.

I slowly stood up, and he still didn't move.

I walked up to him again…and realized that it wasn't a him at all, rather an _it_. It was…a statue?

I raised my hand and lightly touched it.

It felt cold, and it was a statue made of…ores and jewels?

As my hand explored the figure of him and I studied it more, I came to the conclusion that I was correct. It was indeed a statue of…Vaughn, nothing more.

I sighed in relief, because if it was really him…I wouldn't know what I would do or even ask. That was if I didn't pass out first.

I took a step back from it, and noticed what was used to make an _incredible_ replica of him.

Copper was used for his vest, boots, and his belt. Junk ores was used for his outfit, the black portions, including his hat and gloves. Gold was used for the insignia on his belt, USI. Silver, possibly mythril, was used for his hair. Finally, two amethyst were used for his eyes…the only thing that stuck out the most.

I momentarily stared at them, almost wishing they were real.

Then reality struck, making me remember where I was. I couldn't be here for long.

Since the room was hidden, I was sure that everything in it was meant to be a secret too.

I looked it over once more…and realized that it was missing one detail. His white bandana that is usually around his neck was missing. Scratch that, something else was missing too. The rope that he usually has attached to his belt wasn't there either. And then another detail surfaced to the forefront of my brain; that his physique was just a little off, that he should be just a bit more muscular around the arms.

I bit my lip, and briefly wondered how I noticed those small details.

I turned away from the statue to look at the pictures, all being Vaughn as well, that were hanging on the wall; many were painted, but a few were sketched. Each one had him doing something different. The one that caught my eye was of him standing in the rain while holding an umbrella, but it had holes in it. Therefore, the rain would still fall on him. His signature frown was there…but he looked depressed too.

I didn't have to guess who did them all, including the statue.

The room with these secret paintings were fascinating…but leaning more towards creepy and it was beginning to scare me.

A loud whistle caught my attention, coming from _outside_ of the room.

I listened to the sound, and realized that it was a kettle.

It meant that Sabrina was almost done.

I quickly headed towards the door and was about to leave…until something else caught my attention.

I stopped and stared at the only non-painting on the wall.

I took one step towards the object, but I looked towards the doorway again, debating on what would be best. Being caught in the room wasn't an option…but my curiosity was stronger.

I ran up to the object and looked closely at it. At first, all I saw was a plastic bag, empty. But as my eyes focused under the dim light, I realized that there was _something_ inside of it. It was white…a thin piece of string?

I was now perplexed. "_Why would she have a piece of string in a bag?_"

A clanking sound made me turn my head. It came from outside of the room. It could only be two things, either Sabrina dropped something or it was dishes clinging against each other.

I decided that standing there wasn't a good idea to figure out the answer.

This time, I ran towards the doorway and out of the hidden room. Now I was left with another dilemma.

"_How do I close it?_"

Sabrina's whistling from the kitchen made me turn my head. She was almost done, I could hear her moving a few things, but it was less noisy.

I quickly looked back at the still open doorway, as panic began to rise within me.

This time, I heard footsteps, and they were getting close.

My heart sped up and I looked up. I saw the painting of the rose. Without thinking, I jumped and pressed my index finger in the middle, hoping it would be the key to close it.

To my silent relief, it was. Yet the wall was closing too slowly!

I turned around to see if Sabrina had entered the room yet. Fortunately for me, she didn't. I heard her say, "Oh! I forgot the sugar!"

Her footsteps changed direction and I could hear her putting sugar cubes into something. Unfortunately, it didn't take long for her to do the task, as I could hear her footsteps coming back!

My luck didn't get better as I faced the secret doorway, it wasn't closed, as it was still _halfway_ open.

My head began to act like a ping-pong ball, moving from the sliding wall to the doorway of Sabrina's room.

It was almost closed now, but still wide enough for her to notice!

When I faced the doorway again, I saw the bottom of Sabrina's shoe, stepping into the room.

I turned away from the doorway, grabbed a random book from her desk, and ran to the chair, where I was at before. I slumped myself into it and opened the book to a random page, pretending to read it. All I could hope was that she would notice me first before the doorway.

Just then, Sabrina entered the room with a tray in her hands…before she stopped suddenly in her tracks.

I dared to glance up at her, but she didn't look angry. She titled her head to the side, and slightly smiled. "You're enjoying the book so far?" she asked before straighten her head.

"Uh…"

She came towards the table and set the tray down. While she wasn't looking, I looked at the front cover of the book, and nearly gagged.

I turned back to the random page just before she sat down in her seat, looking at me while waiting for an answer.

"Er…I'm not really a fan of the series."

She frowned in confusion. "Oh...so, you're reading it because…?"

I gave a nervous laugh and said, giving her what hopefully sounded like a reasonable excuse, "Just wanted to laugh at it was all."

I closed the book and quickly asked her, "How could you _like_ it? It's so…cliché, and boring."

Sabrina lightly shrugged in reply.

I put the book down on the table and took a better look at the objects on the tray. I shifted my eyes to the side once, and to my relief, the door was closed…and it reminded me of what was in the room. I suddenly felt a little scared of my surroundings, for my safety. It became worse when my mind drifted to my private journal at home, with the notes and evidence of what was going on. Then I asked myself, "_What if I missed something else in there?_"

I suddenly wanted to leave.

I didn't dare look at her, as she might notice something was wrong.

To prevent from doing so, I reached a hand towards the tray and took my cup of tea. My eyesight stayed on the tray as I threw lumps of sugar into my cup.

While stirring the contents, I then said to her, while looking down, "So, Sabrina. I do have some gifts for you. Mark hasn't forgotten, he just has been busy is all. Want them now or—?"

"That'll be great! Well, after I drink my tea if you don't mind. It'll help soothe me a little."

I saw her hand reach for her own tea, and she put one cube into her own. I then looked up at her, and she was slowly stirring her contents. She then looked at me with a smile, making me look down at my own cup of tea. Another thought surfaced in my mind, "_Do I really want to drink this?_"

The answer I came up with wasn't positive. I put my cup down on the coffee table and said, as a reason, "I'll drink mine after you open your gifts. Tea can make me drowsy…being soothing and all."

Maybe I was being paranoid, but I couldn't shake the feeling either. Something is making me feel anxious. Maybe it is fear…or it's something else, something I haven't identified yet.

She nodded her head in reply when I glanced back at her. Then she brought her teacup to her own lips and lightly sipped, making not a sound.

While she was enjoying her tea, I took my rucksack off of my back and reached in to get the contents. I pulled out two that were rectangle shaped, both gift-wrapped, but one was smaller and thicker. I laid them down on the table, and I kept my eyes there.

She put her tea down, it being half empty now, and she picked up the smaller one.

"That one is from Mark."

She nodded her head in thanks before she ripped the wrapper off carefully. She smiled. "This is the newest books on gems! I meant to buy one myself, but I kept forgetting. Tell Mark I am grateful for this." I nodded in answer.

As she carefully laid it to the side, I then asked her, "No party or anything for your special day?"

She shook her head as she picked up the next one. Like the previous one, she carefully opened it. "I don't like being crowded too much. Besides, there have been more than enough parties. Enough to last me a lifetime."

The wrapper fell and she gave me a smile, "This one from you?"

Another nod from me.

She looked over the sketchbook. "This is very useful, thank you." She laid it down next to the other gift. Suddenly, she brought one of her hands to her chest, where her heart would be, and I saw one of her eyes twitch, as if she was in pain.

I put my suspicions to the side and replaced it with concern. "Are you okay?"

"I-I don't know. I feel really hot suddenly…."

The answer to my question was answered when her eyes widen, then her body fell sideways, out of her seat_**(2)**_. I stood up in alarm.

She was now on the floor, shaking uncontrollably, while her hand was still gripped to her heart. I knew it was really bad when it looked like she started to _foam_ at the mouth. My brain finally rebooted itself into action.

"Sabrina! My—help! Help! She's—having a heart attack!" I exclaimed as I ran to her side.

All I could do was watch in dismay. How could I stop something like that?

Luckily my screams for help were heard, as I heard someone run up the stairs. Mr. Regis appeared in her doorway, his eyes not in the usual calm demeanor, but in alarm. It didn't take him long to see what was happening.

"Goddess! What's wrong with my daughter?"

Sabrina was still shaking on the ground, and it looked like her eyes swirled to the back of her head as well. Mr. Regis acted quickly. He took out his cellphone, something I didn't even know he had_**(3)**_, and pressed one button; speed-dialing a doctor hopefully.

His voice faded to the background as I looked back at Sabrina…her skin was turning red now, unusual for her pale like skin.

The world around me unmuted itself again.

"Go get the doctor _now_! He's going too slow for _my_ liking!" Mr. Regis yelled, directed at me obviously.

I didn't argue. I stood up and was out of that room before he could even breathe again. I was out of their mansion soon after. Dr. Trent happened to be on the path, running himself.

I didn't wait for an explanation. I just grabbed his wrist and pulled him inside, up the stairs, and to the doorway of her room. I shoved him inside and followed behind him. This time, she wasn't shaking anymore, just breathing hard with a hand over her chest, and perspiration had developed around her forehead.

Dr. Trent ran up to her, and looked her over for a few moments before he asked her, "What happened?"

Sabrina didn't answer, she just closed her eyes. It looked like she was on the verge of crying.

"I see…let's get you to your bed."

Dr. Trent muttered something to Mr. Regis and then they both supported her with their shoulders as they escorted her to her large, pink, and fluffy bed.

She laid down on her own, not pulling a blanket over her. I wouldn't blame her; she must have been burning up if her skin color changed, even for a moment.

After Dr. Trent made sure that his patient was fine, as far as his eye could see, before he turned around to ask me a question, "What happened?"

"I—don't really know. She was fine a second ago, and then she fell to the floor. It was as if she was having a seizure."

His expression stayed professional as he approached the coffee table. He waved his hand at the objects on it. "Did she have anything before the symptoms occurred?

"The last thing that I know she had was her tea. I wouldn't know if she had anything earlier in the day." I pointed to the teacup on the table anyway. "It's right there."

He picked her cup up, and looked at the leftover contents in it. I saw him frown a little, but he didn't say what he saw. He turned his head to look at Mr. Regis, whom was still standing by the bed.

"Does your daughter have a heart condition?"

Mr. Regis was staring at Sabrina, his face away from us. He shook his head in answer.

Dr. Trent looked back into the teacup he held. "Well, there is something in here…it looks too refined to be sugar. Does she take any medication?" He asked while still looking at the contents in the teacup he held.

Mr. Regis shook his head again. "Although, she does take varies natural remedies. Vitamins and such."

"I see…if you don't mind, I'm going to go analyze the substance in this cup. Maybe she has developed a sudden allergy to it."

He couldn't ask Sabrina what she took, as it looked like she drifted off to a troubled sleep. I suppose in his view, it would be easier to conduct some chemistry experiment then to wait for her to wake up…which could be hours from now.

Dr. Trent went to check on Sabrina once more before he left. Mr. Regis stayed by her bed, his expression blank, though it did look like it would contort to some sort of expression. Maybe he wasn't sure how he should feel.

Not that he was alone.

I sat back in the brown seat, the same one I sat in earlier before the events unfolded. My hands rested on my knees, and I looked at the contents on the table; everything left untouched.

"_Maybe…I was wrong to be suspicious._"

I wasn't sure if I should feel ashamed, or feel 'happy' for having a better to be safe than sorry mentality. Neither made the pain easier.

* * *

**Vaughn's POV**

"_About damn time I was done._"

It took way longer than usual to finish everything I needed to do. From taking care of the livestock in the back of my aunt's shop to doing the paperwork. At most, it would take me a few hours, maybe until the afternoon. Today, it took me until early evening.

I put the pen down and stood up from the kitchen table. I neatly stacked the paperwork I _just_ finished to the side, with a plan in mind to hand them in tomorrow instead.

"_I would have been finished if it wasn't for my __**various**__ fumbles…again._"

My luck with doing everything awkward, for lack of a better word, wasn't unnoticed by Julia or Aunt Mirabelle. She asked me quite a few times if I was feeling well or she would suggest that I should take a break for a while. I had to keep assuring her, though I wasn't doing a good job, that I was fine.

It didn't stop her from observing me though.

I laid a hand on the neat stack of papers…and then something caught my eye. A vein had to burst somewhere on me in frustration, as the error came to me.

"I forgot to sign each one…damn it," I muttered under my breath.

I sighed and sat back in the chair, taking the first paper from the top. Apparently, I wasn't done anyway…add that to the number of '_I Know What I Did Wrong Today_' list.

I picked up the pen and signed my name at the bottom on the dotted line before I moved on to the next one.

The chair across from me was pushed back, making a scrapping sound against the wooden floor. I ignored the person on the other side as I continued to scribble my name on the paper. Besides, the person was giving me the 'silent treatment', which is kind of ironic from another view I suppose.

"Looks like you forgot to put your signature on those papers," Julia said.

"No kidding Blondie…wait, why are you talking to me?"

I stopped writing for a second to look at her, as she was sitting across from me, with some cookie in her mouth, munching away…and getting crumbs on some of my paperwork. "Stop doing that, you're going to ruin my papers. And I'm not in the mood to start over on any of them."

"They're just crumbs Vaughn, relax," she said, as more crumbs fell out of her mouth.

I gave her a glare before I swept them away with my other hand. "And you avoided my question."

"Well…" She ate the last bit of the cookie before she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "I would be, except after today, I don't think I can."

"What does _that_ mean?"

She giggled. "Come on Vaughn, nobody can stay mad at you, especially after all the 'little' incidents you had today. I felt nothing but pity for you. Poor Vaughn."

"Go away."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm not making fun of you Vaughn. You must not be feeling well in your head or something. Something is making you feel all…off, lately. Maybe you should take a break. It's Winter, and certain holidays are coming up. Having a week off wouldn't be bad for you, or hurt you in anyway. I mean, come on Vaughn, you must have piled on a few vacation days, right?"

"Even if I wanted a break, I think I took them all anyway. With the shi—er, _stuff_ going on lately, I had to from time to time."

"I doubt all of your free days were taken…."

"Look, I need to finish this before I leave today. Otherwise, I'll be working twice as hard tomorrow."

Julia sighed, but didn't say anything.

The silence grew; only the sound of my pen scratching on the paper was heard.

Julia, unfortunately, can't shut up for more than a few minutes at best. "Well, since you're so interested in working anyway, come to the island on Friday, the 14th. Due to your mishaps today, you can make it up on that day."

I stopped writing for a moment. "And why would I do that? I work tomorrow. I can do it then."

She laughed, as if I said something interesting. "Vaughn, if you weren't yourself today, it's probably going to be the same tomorrow. It'll probably continue to happen until whatever issue you have is fixed." She shrugged her shoulders. "Knowing you, that could be anything."

"…I don't have time for this. I have work to finish."

I went back to signing my name on the papers.

"Ah-huh. Well, Mr. I-Do-Nothing-But-Work, you forgot to put the products from today in the crates, and label what the contents were. Gannon's going to be here soon to pick them up."

I dropped my pen and felt my eye twitch in annoyance. "You—you did that purposely. You—you're lucky I have to go do _that_ now."

She tittered purposely, a hand over her mouth mockingly. "Payback hurts doesn't it?"

I was already in front of the backdoor. I didn't have time to banter with her at the moment (I swear I'll get her for this!). I had to do it quick before Gannon arrived. I was in the back before the thought even finished.

* * *

Despite my efforts and Julia's 'warning', I didn't finish in time before Gannon arrived. I had to tell him to pick up the products tomorrow instead. Luckily he didn't get annoyed with my screw-up, as he agreed with a nod of his head to pick the materials up tomorrow.

To make sure that the same thing didn't happen, I wrote a note and hung it up on the wall in the back, by the ropes. There would be no way that I would miss the memo…unless I become stupid or something tomorrow.

Although, if I do screw-up royally, I could come in Friday to make it up…as Julia suggested.

And for once I was lucky to even do that, as I wasn't told to do much on that day anyway. So, unless I'm told to do something else at the last minute, I could come to the island.

Since there wasn't much debate or that I had any other plans on that day, I decided to do just that. I mentally, hopefully I'll remember, made a note to myself to keep that day open.

Since I was coming in tomorrow anyway, to work twice as hard, I left through the back door, thinking that I could finish the paperwork tomorrow instead.

I didn't feel like sleeping at the store, in a futon, especially if I had to deal with Julia's taunts, so I headed for the hotel on the path to stay for a night there.

As I walked, I almost bumped into Chelsea (darn my luck).

We had both stopped on the path, staring at one another for a moment. She blinked her eyes, and then smiled, as expected, "Hey Vaughn. Haven't seen you for, well, awhile."

"That would be expected. I only come here twice a week."

She chuckled nervously, "I suppose so…except for a few times."

She moved back and forth with her feet, not really moving, making her anxiety obvious. I waited for her to speak again, not really in a hurry, or felt that I needed to hurry.

Now that I thought about it…I wasn't even annoyed that I was waiting…something was definitely wrong with me.

"Um…not that it's any of my business, but…will you be here Friday? No—nothing to think about! Just a question!" she said hurriedly.

I raised an eyebrow at her odd question, and didn't think about why she asked such a question. "Usually I don't, but thanks to…some _issues_, I will be here Friday."

Her smile widens. "That's great! Well, maybe not great for you but…er, nevermind." She shook her hands as if to chase off her words and chuckled nervously.

Then her expression changed to a quizzical look. "What did you mean by 'some issues'?"

I was hoping she didn't notice that part of the sentence. I answered it anyway. "I…just messed up a few things, nothing more."

"Oh, you okay?"

"Just the normal type of thing. It happens sometimes."

She didn't push about it any further. She just went back to being, well, anxious.

She was being a lot more odd than usual. Speaking of which, I don't remember seeing her at the shop today…although, I was in the back most of the time, I still don't remember hearing her either; talking to Julia or otherwise.

"Where have you been anyway? I don't remember seeing you in the shop today talking to Julia about anything. Somethin' kept you busy?"

"Oh uh…I spent my time with Sabrina today. It was her birthday, and then…well, she became just a little ill. So, I stuck with her, as I think a friend should."

I saw her frown at her words, as if they were strange. Then everything she said hit me.

"Her birthday? That's right.…" I said, thinking aloud.

I don't remember if I brought it or not, but maybe I hooked it to the side of my belt….

With the thought in mind, I reached a hand to the side of my belt, where the rope also rested, and looked through the small hook that kept the rope attached. To my amazement, the item I was looking for was attached there as well. I unhooked the latch, and took the item off before hooking it back. I extended the object to Chelsea.

She took it and gave it a curious look. "What is this paintbrush for?"

"That would be Sabrina's gift," I said, nonchalant.

She suddenly looked at me, surprised, and then she asked me, "How did you know it was her birthday? Besides me telling you just now."

"Well she wasn't exactly being indirect about it, not to me anyway. The last time she invited me to _tea_, she was talking about her past birthdays and other stuff. I don't remember much else, but I do recall that little detail because she kept bringing it up," I explained with a shrug of my shoulders.

She looked back at the paintbrush in her hand. I saw her eyes droop a bit, as if something upset her. All it did was confuse me…and something else, too. Not sure what it was, but whatever it was…I didn't like that her expression made _me_ feel distressed now.

So, I couldn't help but ask her, "Something wrong?"

I saw her bite her bottom lip, and then she shook her head. "No, nothing. Just…a long day is all."

She was lying of course.

How I _knew_ she was lying?

Because she wouldn't look at me with a straight face. She's a terrible liar, something I picked up a long time ago, not sure how long ago. The biting of the lip is another dead giveaway on her part. She does that too when she is anxious, sad, or trying to not say everything out loud by accident. I didn't state my observations aloud to her though. For once, I kept them to myself.

But that didn't mean I liked doing so…or liked that she was doing it to me. In fact, it actually pissed me off.

"_Odd…I'm usually not this hung up about other's thoughts._"

Then again, this is Chelsea. To be honest with myself…I haven't exactly been the same because of her actions on that beach. My mind has been…a little hazy.

This meant that it was time to go. I needed to lay my head down and rest…maybe this mind boggling feeling will fade as time goes by.

Before I could tell her that I would see her around. She said, "Excuse me, sorry to keep you standing here. I'm sure you're tired and would like to rest now. So…I will give this to her and I will…see you later."

She then walked around me, her shoulder just grazing my arm, which sent a weird shiver up my spine, and finally leaving me standing there on the path.

I'm not lying that my mind has been acting bizarre lately. It has become as predictable as guessing the exact lottery numbers for a life of luxury.

My mind was bothered by her tone. She was happy not too long ago, but when she left…she was _sad_. It's like she's bipolar or something. In one mood and then is in a different mood the next.

But that's what bothered me, her sadness. And my stupid messed up brain played it in a small loop.

I don't know why, _it_ _just_ _did_.

What made the whole scene worse were those eyes of hers. Almost as large as a damn doe, making the look more depressing then it should be, more bothersome.

I sighed; feeling drained all of a sudden.

This goes to show that I needed to go to sleep and take a large sleeping pill of some sort. Maybe I should think about seeing the doctor on Friday instead of working….

I need to think about it…if my mind will allow me to.

Unfortunately, my mind couldn't help but utter to me, "_Did I do something wrong?_"

* * *

**Chelsea's POV**

I sat on my bed, with my knees drawn up. As if it could protect me, though it wouldn't do any good to protect how I felt on the inside. It was working more like a container, keeping the feelings in.

I sighed, feeling silly. Whether my knees were drawn up or flat on my bed, the emotions swirling inside of me wouldn't be at ease anyway.

I looked in the area where the bookshelf would be. Since it was really dark outside and I had no lights on, I couldn't see much of anything in my home.

Even though I was staring at the bookshelf, my mind still only thought about certain parts of today.

Dr. Trent analyzed the contents that were in Sabrina's teacup. He said, at least according to my memory, it was some drug called Digoxin_**(4)**_. A drug that is meant for people with heart conditions. Dr. Trent already knew that she didn't have one.

Turned out that it came from her bottle with MSM inside of it…or at least, that was what it was supposed to be inside.

Based on his thoughts, her bottle was contaminated. Someone had replaced the content with that. Having an overdose of MSM wouldn't kill you or hurt you in anyway. However, an overdose of Digoxin _would_ kill you. Luckily for Sabrina that her body was healthy overall and it managed to drive off the worst of the effects. She'll feel woozy for at least a day, but she'll be fine overall. The only conclusion we could come up with was that during the time of that robbery, since nothing was missing in her home as far as I knew, the 'robber' had replaced the nutritional contents with dangerous drugs.

Anyone with a heart would feel sorry and be supportive for their friend to get better.

Except, I don't…I can't.

I did bring the paintbrush to her, as Vaughn requested, and she was very happy, even though it was nothing more than a plain paintbrush.

The dark feeling inside of me wouldn't stay down, it wouldn't stay put, and it couldn't keep itself hidden. I felt ashamed for feeling such a way towards her, someone that was kind and helpful towards people, when she could be. Yet I felt this negative and overpowering feeling of sudden dislike towards her. No, this feeling is too strong for it to be simply dislike, it's more bordering on..._hate_.

Isn't it terrible to feel that way? Why _did_ I feel that way?

The feeling kept rising when she started to talk about him frantically, almost nonstop and hardly breathing. How he came by her home after she invited him for tea…quite a few times, based on what she was talking about. How he was _this_, _that_, and more.

When she was happily talking about him, my emotions were running wild, and so were my hands. I didn't even realize I did it; they had turned into tight sized fists.

I didn't hurt her or knock something down, I wasn't _that_ unstable…but I could feel myself heading in that direction.

I had to excuse myself from her room, and lucky for me, she didn't see me like that.

However…that was _hours_ ago.

I still feel like that a little, but it didn't take long for guilt to wash over me and this awful feeling of….

I shut my eyes, trying to keep the word from surfacing in my head. I wasn't going to even say the word, let alone think it.

I tried to even justify my feelings to be something else, suspicions. But, having a secret room, almost like a _shrine_, a creepy shrine, didn't make her 'evil' or responsible for the goings-on on the island. There is a difference between being fascinated, obsession from another view I guess, then being a psychopathic, just borderline, of being a killer (serial killer if more than one happened to be killed).

It explained quite a bit, concerning that secret room, and her behavior towards him, the ones I have seen. Obvious, yet I somehow didn't pay attention…or maybe I always knew and chose to ignore it.

Vaughn didn't make it any better.

Funny, I was actually happy to see him when I 'bumped' into him on the path. Also, I felt at peace with him being there too. The void that was always there when I would be with Will or Mark, wasn't there, just for a moment. I didn't feel guilty either. The top of the cherry was that the whole heart doing backflips and the fluttering in my stomach occurred.

At least, until he handed me the paintbrush and told me who it was for.

The light fluttering in my stomach turned into a stone, falling down the pit and being stuck there. The backflips in the heart stopped midway, turning to glass instead, cracking a little, but not enough to break. I don't remember if I showed these internal feelings towards Vaughn, and I hope I did hide it well enough, it wasn't his fault, not really.

"_But that time on the beach, when he almost…._"

Just like what happened at the beach, my thought remained unfinished. Maybe that was nothing at all.

Maybe…I imagined it being something more…when it's not at all. Nothing more than him showing a little concern.

The broken line in my heart became deeper, and it rooted itself there like a tree.

It didn't stop the rain drops from falling off of my face outside…not soothing the roots on the inside.

_**TO BE CONTINUED**_

* * *

**AUTHOR'S COMMENTS/NOTES**

* * *

**(1**)_ Sabrina's Secret Room/Shrine_: Would you believe me that it's really in the game? I'm serious, it's there. You see, it was an unfinished room that the game makers didn't get to really add a doorway to in the finished product. Guess they forgot to take it out. However, the only way to get to it is by using the 'walk through walls' cheat code. Once you have it enabled, you go to her room where the picture is and walk right through it. It's pretty creepy. Oh yes, before you go run off and do that or look it up on the internet, there is one more thing…I'm just pulling your leg, don't do it, you're probably going to screw up your game if you do. There is no secret room, something I completely made up…or did I? xD Yeah okay, it's not real. So really, **don't do it**.

**(2**)_ Sabrina's Heart Attack/Seizure_: It is said that when a person is having a seizure that you should not call for help immediately. Truthfully, I think that's stupid. I believe you should. Why? Think about it. If you had to call the paramedics, how long does it take for them to get there? At least 5 minutes. More if you live in a busy area/town/city. Waiting for a minute or two to 'see if it's serious' is not really a bright idea, at least, not to me. To add on to that, they, if you dial to the 'national' police number, call the nearest paramedics in your area. That could range from a few miles to many miles. Do you honesty want to risk that? Eh, my opinion. This is here just in case you see that as an error on my part. I'm aware of it, but I couldn't exactly extend the scene too much either. Although, I can say that the seizure shouldn't have happened as quickly as it should have nor ended as quickly.

**(3)** _Regis Cellphone_: I don't know if he has one or not. But, being a business man and all, he probably does have one. If he didn't…well, now he does.

**(4)** _Digoxin_ _(aka Lanoxin/Digitalis)_: As Chelsea stated in the story, a drug for those that have heart problems. It's a double edged sword though. If you take too much of it, the incorrect dosage, you can have a heart attack. With this drug, even a tiny dosage (as in 3 or 4 times the prescription reads) can be fatal. The drug (poison) can be detected in the blood, it just makes it hard for the examiner to determine if the person died from a heart attack or was poisoned.

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**[POLL IS STILL UP!]** Here's the next chapter, as you can see. Been busy, as you should already know. Faster though then last time, right? This was one of the chapters that needed some editing. I had it done by Saturday, but wanted to wait it out just in case something else needed editing. Uh, there were a few parts here that I had to cut out. I won't say what it was or what they were, but nothing significant. As I replaced it with something else instead anyway.

Anyway, crazy chapter, right!? I know some of you will be upset with what it might mean, especially if you voted on the polls for a certain someone to be the bad guy. Hey, maybe you're right…or maybe you're wrong. Sorry, I have to mess with your minds, at least a little. xD

And Chelsea, wow! Her feelings are out of wonk aren't they? Not like she's the only one…Vaughn is quite out of it too. Poor them…. The only happy one, not counting the nearly being killed portion, in this chapter had to be Sabrina. Then there was the secret door/room…the amethyst eyes description. I had to use it, except I really meant amethyst and not using it to describe anything. xD It's kind of a joke. Before I wrote this story, one word that was used, most of the time, to describe Vaughn's eyes was 'amethyst'. I don't think I ever used the word to describe the color of his eyes in this story at all…it's too…belch, I think. But I kept it in mind anyway, for this chapter. xD

Anyway, the next chapter, the big 32! If you haven't guessed yet, it's on Friday, the 14th! Why is that day special? Come on, guess, or at least feel free to guess. It's not too hard. If you think it is, feel free to look it up on a Harvest Moon calendar. Once you see what day it is in their world…you'll feel excited (or, at least a little excited). So, look forward to that chapter soon!

In other news, I've been rather excited lately. I found some good news about a certain thing (concerning a manga series), and the news has made me go _**seriously**_ cuckoo for cocoa puffs! Not really, but, if you were waiting for a favorite (or one of) character to show up in your favorite series, and you waited 6 years and when he does finally show up, how would you feel?* That's me right now. xD The news is at least a week or two old now, yet I still feel so…! **EXPLOSION!** xD All this energy that is contained, or being released now, is making me do stuff for no reason! Or rather, I'm getting stuff done a little faster. Probably why you didn't have to wait too long for this chapter (the editing portion). xD If this energy is still here for a little while longer, maybe the whole story will be completely edited and posted within another month or two.

Well…until next time!

_**THANK YOU ALL FOR REVIEWING (And to those that read anonymously)!**_

***If you _must_ know who it is that has made me all excited and giddy; it's Grimmjow, from the BLEACH series. He has reappeared in Chapter 518. Not a complete picture of him, just parts of him. Still, I'll take it…till he gets his epic entrance sometime in the _very near_ future. Excuse me while I spazz out… _again_. (Though, I'll be secretly pissed if Kubo is pulling my and his other fans legs…that wouldn't be very nice at all. T_T)


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